For the past 27 years, the Brazilian community of South Florida has celebrated its roots through a festival that combines art and storytelling to preserve togetherness and traditions in their home away from home.
Brazilian filmmakers are known for tackling political and social themes while portraying the country’s rich culture, flavors, music, nature and multiracial identity. Therefore, when events like the Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival come to town, culture buffs and cinephiles prepare to immerse in Brazil’s vibrant tapestry.
“Brazil is experiencing a moment of prominence on the international agenda, assuming a leading role in the debate of Amazon preservation, the action for sustainable growth, the recognition of native peoples and the embracing of cultural diversity,” says Viviane Spinelli, 57, director and founder of Inffinito. She says the festival translates contemporary Brazil into concerts, films, outdoor cinema, parties and in-person and virtual showings.
Making its way through 93 countries, Inffinito, founded at the Bill Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami in 1997, celebrates Brazil’s cinematic wonders through thought-provoking films and cultural events. Its U.S run takes place in New York (Aug. 25 – Sept. 3) and Miami, which boasts the third-largest Brazilian population in the country (according to agimmigration.law), from Sept. 8-16.
As the largest and most important festival of Brazilian culture worldwide, Inffinito is all about experiencing Brazilian cinema at its best. For starters, on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. is the screening of “Inhotim From Within,” a documentary by renowned Brazilian filmmaker Tiago Arakilian, at the O Cinema South Beach, followed by a concert by Latin Grammy-winner, rapper, writer and entrepreneur “Emicida” at the Miami Beach Bandshell, on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. Expect to enjoy a total of 60 films, including documentaries, features and Competitive Screenings that will be selected for best in film, screenplay, photography, direction and performance. There will also be a special tribute to Tetê Moraes, the acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker who dedicated her life to cinema, journalism and literature. She’s recognized for focusing on women in Brazilian society in film production.
Among the Competitive Screenings are “Elis & Tom” on Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. A documentary set in L.A. in 1974, it showcases never-before-seen images of Tom Jobim (Bossa Nova creator, a type of samba) and Elis Regina (Brazil’s most popular singer at the time) and how they recorded what would become the most iconic album in the history of Brazilian music.
“Sunday Night” by André Bushatsky will be screened on Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. This dramatic film tells the story of one of the greatest Brazilian actresses and her husband, a prizewinning writer with advanced-stage Alzheimer’s, and how her life drastically changes when she, too, is diagnosed with the disease.
The festival ends with “Our Dream – The Story of Claudinho and Buchecha” by Eduardo Albergaria on Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. It tells the true story of “Claudinho e Buchecha,” the most successful funk melody duo in Brazilian music history, their friendship, triumph over adversity and how their talent conquered a whole nation.
For tickets and more information, visit inff.online.
Photo courtesy of Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival