‘Paloma’ named best fiction film at 24th Rio International Film Festival

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Paloma

Source: Rio International Film Festival

Paloma

Marcelo Gomes’ trans drama Paloma was named best fiction film at Sunday’s (October 16) closing ceremony of 24th Rio International Film Festival – one of several films that stood out in the traditionally strong Première Brasil section.

Some of the features which received their world premiere in the section leave the so-called Cidade Maravilhosa (Wonderful City) of Rio with chances to build an international career, such as Property (Propriedade), Transe, and Kobra Self Portrait (Kobra Auto Retrato).

Paloma screened for the first time in Munich last July and tells of a trans woman desperate for a traditional church wedding. It also garnered the best actress award for Kika Sena and will soon be presented at Raindance and Huelva festivals in the UK and Spain.

“I was very pleased to watch a wide array of styles, themes and overall quality across the board. There is a new wave of Brazilian filmmakers who are going to make their marks internationally,’’ said LA-based producer Eleonora Granata-Jenkinson, who was a member of this year’s jury. “Some of the films already had a very successful run in international festivals such as Cannes, Locarno and Venice. Others were total discoveries. I was happy to notice how diverse, high and daring is the quality of post pandemic Brazilian film landscape.”

One such festival discovery was Property, directed by Daniel Bandeira, which took the best editing prize for Matheus Farias. In the drama, rural workers confront a reclusive designer who belongs to the family that owns the farm where they work. By showing the designer locking herself in her own armoured car, the film explores the thin but impenetrable layer of glass that separates the two worlds.

Carolina Jabor and Anne Pinheiro Guimarães’ Transe is also a film that promises to draw the attention from the international market. This work mixes fiction with documentary scenes and is timely since it represents an opportunity for international audiences to reflect on the political reality in Brazil today.

Even though the story is set in 2018, when a generation of young Brazilians feared the possibility of a far-right candidate coming to power, the situation is repeating itself now. That same generation is afraid that presidential incumbent Jair Bolsonaro will defeat Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a runoff election on October 30.

“We believe that the film has international appeal for opening a discussion about contemporary Brazil and all its complexity,’’ said Guimarães, who is awaiting confirmation of the film’s participation in select international festivals in the coming weeks.

Among Premiere Brasil’s documentaries, Lina Chamie’s Kobra Self Portrait was the highlight in terms of discoveries with international potential. It focuses on the life of the Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, one of the most recognised figures in street art worldwide, with photorealistic murals spread across five continents.

After its world premiere in Rio, the film will be one of the attractions of the São Paulo International Film Festival (October 20-November 2) and will be presented at the 13th edition of DOC NYC running November 9-17.

“The film’s trajectory is a mirror of the street artist’s professional path,” said Chamie. The muralist grew up in a poor neighbourhood in Brazil, where he started doing street art and ended up becoming the muralist known for the use of bright colours and bold lines.

“And today Kobra has more than 30 murals in New York, a city he says is the major influence on his work,” added Chamie, who said that so far the artist has created murals in more than 30 countries. “The documentary shows who he is and the obstacles he faced to conquer the world, something that always helps international audiences connect with the character.”

Winners list

Best Fiction Feature
Paloma (Marcelo Gomes)

Special Jury Prize
Dry Ground Burning (Adirley Queirós and Joana Pimenta)

Best Director, Fiction
Julia Murat, (Regra 34)

Best Actress
Kika Sena (Paloma)

Best Actor
Dario Grandinetti (Bem-vinda, Violeta!)

Best Supporting Actress
Aline Marta (Charcoal)

Best Supporting Actor
Timothy Wilson (Fogaréu)

Best Cinematography
Joana Pimenta (Dry Ground Burning)

Best Editing
Matheus Farias (Property)

Best Screenplay
Carolina Marcowicz (Charcoal)

Best Art Direction
Marines Mencio (Charcoal)

Best Documentary
Exu e o Universo (Thiago Zanato)