Rio de Janeiro 2005

Singin' in Rio

A wonderful festival in a miraculous city. You never know whether to enjoy the city and to miss films or to see films and to miss the city. (At least you can enjoy the parties at night in a tent at the Copacabana beach.) Films are not so much shown as celebrated: it's a joyful experience to see how enthusiastic the public reacts to Brazilian films shown in the central festival cinema, the downtown Odeon. Fest director Ilda Santiago managed to make the festival the first place to premiere Brazilian features and docs (among them Delicate Crime, which our jury found to open a new aesthetic territory in the work of Beto Brant, one of the most talented directors of a younger generation ). And then there's "the rest", over 400 films altogether, finding an open-minded young public — the panorama of world cinema or, in particular, the series of Latin American films (with Carlos Reygadas' daring Battle in Heaven which our jury awarded as best Latin American film ). Rio: a feast for the cinema.

Also, a place for discussions. FIPRESCI and the Festival invited to a well attended conference on documentary films (with Miguel Littin, José Padilho, Joel Pizzini and Joao Luiz Vieira). And we launched a new prize, for the best Latin American film of the year, to be — from 2006 onward — decided by the critics of the continent, and presented at the Rio Festival, for the first time at next year's edition. At the presentation of this new prize, Fernando Solanas, the legendary Argentinean filmmaker, received our lifetime achievement award. (k.e.)

Details of the Prize
Lifetime Achievement Award to Fernando Solanas

Reports

An Illness of Society. Sometimes it takes another viewing to recognize the qualities of a film. In the Cannes competition, Carlos Reygadas' Battle in Heaven didn't find much appreciation. Now, in Rio de Janeiro, it turned out to be by far the best Latin American film of the season. Klaus Eder reviews the Mexican director's dark vision of the world.

A New Kind of Brazilian Film. Gabe Klinger talks about Delicate Crime, the exciting new work from Beto Brant and its connections, both real and imitated, to life and art.

A Cinematographer's View. Leonardo Luiz Ferreira contextualizes famed cinematographer Walter Carvalho's work up until now, with his latest, Moacir, Brutal Art, making its premiere in Rio.

Moving in Search of Reality. Leandro Listorti surveys Brazilian docs and finds three strong films that "rescue and validate" their subjects.

Battle in Heaven		The Jury.		Delicate Crime

top