Synopsis

A triptych of sisters sing about their suffering after the eruption of a volcano in Cape Verde. Separated from each other and surrounded by darkness and fire, their voices overlap as we hear their moving words of pain and resistance: “There will come a time when we’ll know why we suffer, and the mystery will end.” The musical ends with silence and archival footage of Cape Verdean people and landscapes after a volcanic eruption in 1951.

Directed by Pedro Costa, The Daughters of Fire represents a radical step forward in form and ambition for the singular Portuguese maestro.

This short film screens along with in water.

Synopsis

In this lively animated music documentary, a New York journalist named Jeff Harris (Jeff Goldblum) goes on a quest to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of a young Brazilian jazz pianist, Tenorio Jr., in the 1970s. The film switches back and forth between Harris’ present-day investigations in Brazil and Argentina, where he tracks down and talks to music virtuosos like Gilberto Gil and João Gilberto, and beautifully envisioned memories of the Bossa Nova music scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

From the directors of the Oscar-nominated animated feature Chico and Rita, They Shot the Piano Player is both an engaging political murder mystery and a snapshot of the creative freedom and musical innovation that took place during a turning point in Latin American history, just before the continent was engulfed by totalitarian regimes.

Synopsis

In this incisive and whimsical personal essay film about movies, memory, and the places of one’s past, acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Neighboring Sounds) explores the changing domestic and urban spaces of his native coastal town of Recife. Split into three sections, the film opens with his family apartment — the site of his early filmmaking endeavors. It then observes the glorious movie houses of Mendonça’s formative years, culminating with a meditation on the transfiguration of theaters into churches and new sites of community.

Through the film’s playful mix of wry narration, amateur (and actual) movies, and archival footage, Mendonça imparts a range of engaging personal musings, from the role of dogs, cats, and termites in his neighborhood to fascinating historical details. A nostalgic love letter to cinema and cities, Pictures of Ghosts creates evocative connections between past and present, fiction and reality, and dilapidated and beautiful.

Synopsis

São Paulo, October 1968. The early years of Brazil’s military dictatorship. In the philosophy building of the public university, the students and professors of the Left Student Movement are organizing. Tensions are palpable as a large number of the Communist Hunting Command gathers outside the private university across the street. As danger looms ever nearer, those who had, up to now, chosen to stay politically neutral are confronted with the implications of their apathy. Friendships and relationships are formed and tested as the personal becomes embroiled in the political, until the simmering threat of violence boils over.

Inspired by true events and filmed in beautiful black-and-white 16mm in a series of 21 elegantly choreographed long takes depicting one intense night, The Battle is a volcanic portrait of the passion of youth in a pivotal moment in Brazilian history.

Synopsis

A decaying hotel on the Portuguese coast welcomes its weekend guests: a man struggling to balance his time between his wife and mother, a woman embarking on an affair with her son-in-law, and a mother attempting to control her daughter’s every decision. During their respective stays, the vacationers observe the hotel’s scarred, resentful staff as their own familial dramas play out for all to see.