5th Valencia Brazilian Film Festival

In Partnership with the Central Florida Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce

Moderated by Visiting Filmmakers Elisa Tolomelli & Malu de Martino

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*“Head over Heels” (**De Pernas Pro Ar*)

February 9, 2012 Reception: 6:30 p.m.
Show Time: 7:00 p.m.

West Campus, Building 3, room 111

Synopsis:

Directions: Click Here

The challenges faced by the protagonists in “Head over Heels” are as archetypical as the actors themselves. Here we have a wealthy workaholic businesswoman forced to undergo a major life change after her husband leaves her and she’s fired from her job. The film itself depicts as fantastic yet remote a reality from the one lived by the masses of Brazil as can be imagined …by the millions of viewers who adored this film on Brazil's big screens. The result is pure entertainment.
To reckon with the fact that this sexy comedy broke box office records in Brazil in 2011 is to better understand Brazil's current economic prosperity and, particularly, the rise... Click For More Info on Film

**“Waste Land” (*Lixo Extraordinário***)

February 13, 2012 Reception: 6:30 p.m.
Show Time: 7:00 p.m.

Osceola Campus, Building 1 Auditorium

Synopsis:

Directions: Click Here

In Waste Land we meet some true amazing Brazilians. This uplifting social documentary is based on the lives of pickers of “recyclable material” in the world’s largest sanitary landfill in Rio de Janeiro. The film stars New York-based artist Vik Muniz, who repatriates to his native Brazil in order to lend his talent and commensurately give back a bit of his good fortune to the incredibly optimistic denizens of Jardim Gramacho landfill outside of Rio. Muniz utilizes theses garbage pickers as subjects of the art he creates, utilizing the discarded materials they collect to mount monumental portraits, later photographing and transporting... Click For More Info on Film

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (É Proibido Fumar)

February 14, 2012 Reception: 6:30 p.m.
Show Time: 7:00 p.m.

West Campus, Building 3, room 111

Synopsis:

Directions: Click Here

This genre-bending dark comedy that floats by in an unpretentious puff, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a charmer whose charisma works, like its characters, in modest but lingering ways. In São Paulo, a lonely forty-something guitar teacher lives a tedious life in a lower middle-class apartment, accompanied by her only companions, cigarettes. When she and her new neighbor Max hit it off, however, she discovers that love ---and a support group--- can help her to overcome her habit… but it can also cloud judgment. Director Anna Muylaert’s smart film has been screened and awarded worldwide and it swept Brazilian national film awards at Cinema Brazil Grand Prize, including Best .... Click For More Info on Film

“If Nothing Else Works Out” (Se Nada Mais Der Certo)

February 16, 2012 Reception: 6:30 p.m. Show Time: 7:00 p.m.

East Campus, Building 6, room 110

Synopsis:

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This contemporary urban drama from director José Eduardo Belmonte invites the viewer to ponder universal themes such as alienation, addiction, gender identity, loneliness, and unemployment as it follows four down-and-out residents of São Paulo: Leo, a journalist, who loses his job; Angela, a depressed mom who spends the electricity money on “medication”; Marcin, a coke dealer who rationalizes this job as “spreading little bits of happiness”; and Wilson, a cabbie in need of a psychiatrist. This gritty, thought-provoking film speaks to the problems faced by urban dwellers everywhere, and its message transcends borders as evidenced by the many awards it has received including the International Rio Film Festival...Click For More Info on Film

“Matraga”

February 17, 2012 Reception: 6:30 p.m.
Show Time: 7:00 p.m.

West Campus, Building 3, room 111

Synopsis:

Directions: Click Here

In this yet-to-be-released screen adaptation of the novel by beloved Brazilian author Guimarães Rosa, we are treated to a beautifully rendered cinematic tale of survival, loss, redemption, and faith. The audience follows the heartless landowner Augusto Matraga who is toppled from his position of power in the raw world of Brazil’s 19th outback and, having been beaten and left for dead by his enemies, is taken in by two religious farmers. He becomes a God-fearing citizen until a powerful landowner crosses his path. The film won five awards at the 2011 International Rio Film Festival, including Best Film. Producer Elisa Tolomelli will be present to further elaborate on Valencia’s...Click For More Info on Film

All films are in Portuguese with English subtitles and open to the public. For additional information, please contact Professor Richard Sansone (rsansone@valenciacollege.edu)

“Head over Heels” (De Pernas Pro Ar)

“Waste Land” (Lixo Extraordinário)

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (É Proibido Fumar)

“If Nothing Else Works Out” (Se Nada Mais Der Certo)

“Matraga”

*“Head over Heels” (**De Pernas Pro Ar*)

**“Waste Land” (*Lixo Extraordinário***)