Brazil's oldest film festival launches 50th edition

The Brazilian Film Festival of Brasília, the country's oldest of its kind, in launching its 50th edition in honor of 89-year-old filmmaker Nelson Pereira dos Santos. The event starts Friday (Sep. 15) at Cine Brasília.

The selection of movies competing this time shows the aesthetic diversity of the festival. Nine features and 12 short films from nine states are fighting for the Candango Trophy. The juri will name the winners for best film, director, actor, actresses, supporting actor, screenplay, photography, art direction, soundtrack, sound, and editing.

The audience will also choose one of the winners. This year, spectators will be able to vote through the official Brasília Festival app.

The festival received a record-breaking number of applications, a total of 778 feature and short films, up 25 percent from 2016.

Tribute

Nelson Pereira dos Santos, this year's honoree, directed films that marked the history of Brazilian film, like Rio, Northern Zone (1957), Barren Lives (1963), and How Tasty was my Little Frenchman (1973). Barren Lives was nominated to the Palm d'Or in Cannes in 1964. It was the only Brazilian film to be included by the British Film Institute on its 360 classics list.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira