Film Countries Archives: Brazil

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An elderly man in a feathered headband stands in front of a mirror, putting in vampire teeth.

Dracula

  Radu Jude

  Romania, Austria, Luxembourg, Brazil     170 minutes

Synopsis

A young filmmaker tasks himself with reclaiming the Dracula story for Romanian cinema, only to experience a crisis of creativity. Determined to make his film, he channels his ideas into an artificial intelligence program, DR. A.I. JUDEX 0.0, generating a collage of stories that include a seedy, fellatio-filled stage performance of the Dracula myth and a real-life vampire hunt through the streets of modern-day Bucharest—not to mention a series of hideous, uncanny renderings of Vlad the Impaler and plenty of zombies.

Bold, unpredictable, and unapologetically over-the-top, Dracula is the absurdist brainchild of iconoclastic master Radu Jude (2023’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World), brilliantly commenting on the pervasive ugliness of AI and offering up a deft and pointed survey of our modern visual landscape. In Jude’s hands, Bram Stoker’s landmark novel couples with grand folkloric traditions to produce an unforgettable, maximalist examination of mythmaking and the cinema itself.

 Romanian with subtitles

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Alexandru Teodorescu, Rodrigo Texeira
  •   Radu Jude
  •   Cătălin Cristuțiu
  •   Marius Panduru
  •   Adonis Tanța, Oana Maria Zaharia, Gabriel Spahiu, Ilinca Manolache, Alexandru Dabija, Andrada Balea, Doru Talos, Serban Pavlu, Lukas Miko, Alexandra Harapu
  •   Wolfgang Frisch, Hervé Birolini, Matei Teodorescu
  •   Vlad Semenescu, Ana Gheorghe, Ramona Grama, Adina Teodorescu, Dan Wechsler, Jamal Zeinal-Zade, Andreas Roald, Berta Marchiori, Fernanda Frotté
  •   Saga Film

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A man with a beard and unbuttoned shirt leans casually against a red pole beside a yellow car. Behind him, fields of tall grass stretch beneath a wide, cloud-filled sky, evoking both restlessness and quiet contemplation.

The Secret Agent O Agente Secreto

  Kleber Mendonça Filho

  Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany     160 minutes

Synopsis

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a university researcher, is on the lam. He holes up in the seaside city of Recife, hoping to reconnect with his young son before ultimately escaping the country. Fearing for his life, he assumes an alias to avoid attracting the attention of Brazil’s military dictatorship. As he awaits his opportunity to flee, mysterious forces beyond his control start to close in around him.

Director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Pictures of Ghosts) offers an urgent, entertaining political thriller replete with international intrigue, mistaken identities, and red herrings galore. The film is at once a loving snapshot of a place in time and a timely fable about greed, power, and forces beyond our control. Winner of both the Best Actor (Wagner Moura) and Best Director prizes at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The Secret Agent captivates with its twisting, turning plotlines and colorful ’70s flare.

 Portuguese with subtitles

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Film Credits

  •   Emilie Lesclaux
  •   Kleber Mendonça Filho
  •   Eduardo Serrano, Matheus Farias
  •   Evgenia Alexandrova
  •   Wagner Moura, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Gabriel Leone, Carlos Francisco, Alice Carvalho, Hermila Guedes
  •   Brent Travers

Sponsors

Program Patron

John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation

With support from

Logo: German Film Office 141x125Logo: Goete Institut - 86x100

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A close-up watercolor illustration of a man’s face, featuring his expressive eyes.

Not Dead Morto Não

  Alex Reis

  Brazil     15 minutes

Synopsis

An experimental work that blends animation, stop motion, and live-action performances provides a contemporary interpretation of W.E.B DuBois’s The Soul of Black Folks. We follow the love and pain of new parents, grappling with the worst the world can offer their young, Black son.

This film screens as part of Shorts Program 3: Black Perspectives.

  

 Portuguese 

Content Considerations

Film Credits

  •   Alex Reis
  •   W. E. B. Du Bois, Alex Reis
  •   Alex Reis
  •   Wilson Velasco, [Alex Reis, Matias Liebrecht, Daniel Bruson, Diego Akel - Animators]
  •   Sidney Santiago Kuanza, Vaneza Oliveira
  •   Alex Kim Manso
  •   Alex Reis
  •   Ananse Filmes

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Shorts 9: Family Friendly Animation

  Various

  Brazil, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, U.S.     66 minutes

Synopsis

Clever animated shorts from across four continents appear in this delightful family program full of polar bears, empty cans of tuna, and beloved grandparents. Presented as a relaxed screening and recommended for cinema-enthusiasts ages 8 years and older.

An empty tuna can and his kitchen friends battle an evil package of spaghetti in Tsuna the Empty Can – Meatball and Spaghetti. In Pow! Jake struggles to keep playing video games while his family attends an intertribal gathering. On the Mat Outside My Door is a poem to an intrusive and ultimately loveable rat. After losing his grandfather, Mundinho meets a whale who lessens his grief in Yore Gramps and the Whale. Snow Bear follows the adventures of a polar bear who must make a new friend in his changing environment. A long car trip made worse by bickering parents shifts into an epic adventure in Are We There Yet? Lily asks “What could be scarier than the meanest teacher in school? ” A teenage boy finds common ground with his grandfather during their weekly visits in Wednesdays with Gramps.

 English, No Dialogue, Portuguese, Swiss-German 

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Sponsors

With support from

Logo: German Film Office 141x125Logo: Goete Institut - 86x100

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A painterly illustration of a small boy with dark curly hair standing next to a giant whale on a beach

Yore Gramps and the Whale Seu Vô e a Baleia

  Mariana Elisabetsky

  Brazil     13 minutes

Synopsis

As a child in a fishing family, Mundinho’s life is connected to the sea. When his beloved grandfather dies, a magical whale that only Mundinho can see appears on the beach to comfort him and help guide him through his grief.

This film screens as part of Shorts Program 9: Family Friendly Animation.

 Portuguese 

Film Credits

  •   J. Luiz Bellas Jr.
  •   Mariana Elisabetsky
  •   Alena Miklos
  •   Guilherme Sant'Anna, Benin Ayo, Rihanna Barbosa
  •   Marco França
  •   Mariana Elisabetsky, Flávia Luz
  •   https://www.marianaelisabetsky.com/seuvoeabaleia

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