Latin American Film Festival to Screen Three Films at Guilford Starting Nov. 7

Once again this year, Guilford will hold screenings as part of the 22nd Latin American Film Festival, sponsored by the Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The college will host three film screenings and related presentations beginning Friday, Nov. 7.

All of the Guilford events will be held in Joseph Bryan Jr. Auditorium, located in the Frank Family Science Center. The three programs are co-sponsored by the departments of foreign languages, international studies and multicultural education. For information about the Guilford screenings, call 316-2367.

Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m.

Moro No Brasil, directed by Mika Kaurismäki (Brazil, 2002). Portuguese with English subtitles; 70 minutes.

This stirring and passionate documentary grants the viewer unparalleled access to the diversity and musical richness of Brazilian music, reaching far beyond Samba and Bossa Nova. Writer/director Mika Kaurismäki’s musical journey covers 4,000 kilometers, with stopovers in Pernambuco, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, and presents the voyage from the roots of samba to its present-day excursions into rap and funk. Experience Brazilian culture and get to know its people with over 50 musical performances from the streets of Brazil by over 40 musical acts, including interviews and performances by Walter Alfaiate & Seu Jorge, Antônio Nôbrega, Darue Malungo, Silverio Pessoa, Margareth Menezes, Ivo Meirelles and much more. The film will be introduced by Alfonso Abad Mancheno, assistant professor of Spanish at Guilford, and will include a special musical presentation by Paulo Barata's Trio do Brasil.

Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. (World Premiere)

Invisible Faces, directed by Luis Nascimento (Brazil 2008). Portugese with English subtitles; 60 minutes.

Every eight hours one person dies in Rio de Janeiro, as a victim of the police. Each death grabs with it the pain of who’s left behind, affecting his/her social circle, especially family and friends. The documentary Invisible Faces centers around the stories of these survivors, mostly women, who fight for justice while turning invisibility into subjectivity. Director Luis Nascimento will be present at the world premiere screening.

Sunday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m.

Brasileirinho, directed by Mika Kaurismaki (Brazil, Switzerland, Finland, 2005). Portuguese with English subtitles; 90 minutes.     

Brasileirinho is a musical documentary film about Choro, the first genuinely Brazilian urban music, developed in the late 19th Century when Brazilian musicians started to blend European melodies, Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the melancholic interpretation of the Brazilian Indians' music. Choro is credited as being the first musical expression of Brazil's melting pot, and had a prominent place in the development of Brazil's cultural identity. The film follows “Trio Madeira Brasil,” composed of three of Brazil's outstanding Choro musicians, and includes “playing” interviews with well-known Samba and Bossa Nova artists like Zezé Gonzaga, Elza Soares and Guinga. This film will also be introduced by Professor Mancheno and will feature a special presentation by the Greensboro Capoeira Collective.

All screenings are free and open to the public. In all, 30 films will be shown at Guilford, UNC Greensboro, Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, N.C. Central University and Durham Technical Community College.

For more information about the film festival, visit its Web site at http://latinfilmfestivalnc.com/.

Oct. 23, 2008