Viva o Cinema! Uma História da Mostra de São Paulo 2024

The series tells the story of the São Paulo International Film Festival, one of the most traditional cultural events in Latin America. For 48 years, the festival has showcased hundreds of films from all over the world, bringing vibrancy to the city. Filmmaker Marina Person provides an irreverent perspective, highlighting the exciting and unusual stories that have marked the festival’s journey of resistance. The series reveals the individuals who have embraced the challenge of organizing this significant cultural event in Brazil every year, despite often challenging conditions. We also delves into how the Mostra has grown to become one of the main festivals globally, shedding light on the changes in cinema, Brazil, and the world over the years.

Murina 2022

A teenage girl decides to replace her controlling father with his wealthy foreign friend during a weekend trip to the Adriatic Sea.

Panorama 2022

Between the scars of the past and the uncertainties of the future, Jardim Panorama resists. A little over ten years ago, the favela was ripped in half by a monster. Today, the monster sleeps. Until when? A film about the dreams, memories and daily life of those who live in a community surrounded by the walls of an upscale neighborhood in São Paulo.

She and I 2021

20 years ago, Bia fell into a coma when her daughter was born, but that hasn't stopped her from being part of the family's daily life for all that time, even if she's unconscious. One day, extraordinarily, Bia wakes up and causes a radical change in the lives of everyone around her. While she needs to relearn how to talk, walk and relate, her adult daughter, her ex-husband and his current wife will have to readjust to a new family configuration, much more complex and full of challenges.

Ainda Estou Vivo 2021

Cora 2021

2064. Cora, a Danish woman, finds an unfinished documentary in which Benjamim, her Brazilian father, attempted - fifty years earlier - to investigate the story of his own parents: Teo, who, afflicted by insanity, died when he was still a child, and Elenir, a mysterious woman he’d barely heard of. In the course of his investigation, Benjamim discovers that both characters are part of a complex family puzzle, filled with traumas and taboos, and starts seeing himself as an important piece in the puzzle. The footage found in Benjamim’s documentary is reorganized by his daughter, Cora, in an attempt to understand her family’s lost past.

Ballad of Return 2016

One day, Eduardo arrives at his house and discovers that Julia, his wife, tried to commit suicide. She left her husband and two children without saying goodbye. After some time, she comes back home. He tries everything to set her straight, but the impossibility of knowing her fully grieves him. The shadow of the suicide and the inevitable ghost of a new chance hover over their heads. Eduardo insists on understanding his wife, but an increasing jealousy and an unexpected discovery of her past torture him. He does not realize that, most of the time, the search for control easily becomes an obsession.

Califórnia 2015

The year is 1984. Estela is going through the turbulent phase of adolescence. Sex, lovers, friendships; everything seems very complicated. Her uncle Carlos is her hero, and visiting him in California is her biggest dream. But everything collapses when he returns thin, weak and ill. Between crises and discoveries, Estela will face a reality that will forever change her way of seeing the world.​

Piadeiros 2015

A film crew travels to inner Brazil in search of the best “piadeiro” —amateur comedian— of the region. We meet these characters on the streets, squares and inside bars, while they are displaying their sense of humor. Beyond being interesting characters, they have the knack of making people laugh. In this film, they each have their 15 minutes of fame —or maybe more.

E 2014

The city and its parking lots.

I Think It Was Raining 2012

A single and apparently humdrum scene in which various days all blend into one. A couple is having breakfast in the kitchen. He is older, greyer, more anguished than she, who is light, pretty and giddy. A morning like any other, were it not for the secret fact that it would be their last together.

Capela 2012

In the city of Capela, Brazil, a strange feast happens every year. Mud, tree, and fire mixing up together in a ritual of extreme visual and poetic impact.

Avaca 2009

Inside a Brazilian slaughterhouse, two skilled men build a cow.