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The 35th edition of Cinélatino, the Toulouse Film Festival dedicated to Latin American cinema in France, opened this Friday night (24) with the screening of the Brazilian film Secret friend, by Maria Augusta Ramos. The feature film is a retrospective of the anti-corruption process in Brazil and is one of the productions on display at the event which, this year, has a special exhibition to discuss the political situation in the country.
Maria Paula Carvalho, special envoy to Toulouse
The festival’s opening cocktail party brought together producers, directors and film lovers at Toulouse’s town hall. A RFI spoke with some Brazilians present at the event, such as screenwriter Ricky Mastro. “It’s a resumption of national cinema, people here are very excited to see what Brazil has been doing and how we survived these last few years, when cinema was a bit ‘the enemy of the people’, so it will be very interesting to see classics like Glauber Rocha’s film and current cinema”, he says. “It’s a very interesting exchange, as Cinélatino serves as a window to promote cinema. It is the first window in which Latin American cinema is shown to the world, mainly to Europe”, he explains.
Jade de Souza signed up as a volunteer to work at the festival. “I have followed Brazilian cinema here in France for many years as a Franco-Brazilian. I believe in the message Brazil has and the space Brazil occupies in Europe in general,” she says. “Brazil is in a moment of exchange, of transition and that is what Europe and France believe. The friendly relationship between Brazil and France is very strong and we are very proud to have this space again to show our policy and our international commitment”, highlights the Brazilian.
Opening session
The Toulouse cinematheque was packed for the screening of Amigo Secreto (2022), a co-production between Brazil, Holland and Germany. The film analyzes the arrest of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during Operation Lava Jato, which investigated an illegal scheme at Petrobras, with the participation of businessmen and politicians.
The film will be shown in three sessions during the festival. According to the feature film by filmmaker Maria Augusta Ramos, Lula’s conviction was a manipulation to discredit the left and its most charismatic leader.
More than 130 films are on the schedule at Cinélatino, in Toulouse, many in national or international premieres, coming from countries such as Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, among others.
Brazil competes with four films in the competitive exhibitions, including feature and short fiction films and documentaries.
The country is also the subject of the exhibition Focus: Brazil, cinema and politics, which features a lineup of classics such as God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun, by Glauber Rocha, nominated for the Cannes festival in 1964 and symbol of Cinema Novo; alongside more recent productions such as Head of Nego (2020), by Deo Cardoso, inspired by the Black Panthers book, addressing racism. The Franco-Brazilian co-production Rule 34directed by Júlia Murat and which denounces the sex trade, was also selected for the exhibition, as well as the documentary Mountains of Disorderby Andrea Tonacci, which tells the moving story of the indigenous Carapiru, who survived the massacre of his tribe, among other films.
This parallel show tries to draw a portrait of Brazilian complexity within the Toulouse Festival.
“In addition to genre and duration, aesthetic and narrative choices, the selected films oppose the dominant discourses and often opt for intimate stories, which are inscribed in reality, opening the horizon to the unique experiences of living in the world”, he explains. Francis Saint-Dizier, president of ARCALT (Association of Latin American Film Encounters of Toulouse).
Screenings take place in 11 locations in the city, until April 2nd. The program also includes lectures, literature meetings and concerts.