AMAZONIA FILM FESTIVAL

Amazonia Film Festival was created in 2014 and it aims to give an international platform to filmmakers born in the region, giving them a voice to talk about the challenges faced by all communities living in the Amazonia, such as indigenous, black and riverside communities. The festival wants to show the diversity in the region and the many Amazonias and its daily challenges.

It is a unique insight into the region through the eyes of some of its most exciting independent filmmakers. In a moment when the world is talking about climate change, climate justice and the future of the Amazon rainforest, it’s time to listen to those that can talk about their home and their local problems using arts to connect globally.

Amazonia Film Festival is mobile and will be present in different locations across Europe. The first 2023 iteration at Gulbenkian Arts Centre in presented as a part of Brazil Footprint 2023 season

FILMS:

O Reflexo do Lago (Amazon Mirror)

Fernando Segtowick, 2020

Duration: 80 minutes.

Following two decades of acclaimed shorts, acclaimed Brazilian director Fernando Segtowick makes his feature-length debut with O Reflexo do Lago (‘Amazon Mirror’), a stunning, black and white documentary concerning the environmental and social impact of deforestation in Brazil.Segtowick’s contemplative film delves the societal impact of major industry, presenting a gentle exploration of the lives of the residents of Tucuruí, a beautiful region alongside the Amazon that has nonetheless been severely impacted by the building of a hydroelectric dam. In the polluted waters, the remains of dead trees serve as a bleak reminder of whole ecosystems long since lost. And yet, the river still flows on, as workers and their families invite Segtowick into their livelihoods and homes with warmth and generosity. O Reflexo do Lago is a patient testimony to resistance, as well as a sensational document of an environment in crisis.

Fernando Segtowick was born in Belém, Brazil in 1971. His first feature film, the documentary Amazon Mirror (in Portuguese, O Reflexo do Lago) was premiered at 2020 Berlinale Panorama (Best Documentary nominee). The film was also shown at Cartagena International Film Festival (Colombia), Festival du film Etnographie Jean Rouch (France), Olhar de Cinema International Film Festival (Brazil) amongst many other festivals around the world. Since 2000, Fernando has directed short films and TV series focused on people of the Amazon Region. In 2020, it was released the TV Series AMAZON TASTE (Sabores da Floresta – Globoplay, Brazil) about Traditional Amazonian Food. Since 2019, he coordinates MARAHU LAB – a workshop designed with the aim to discover and reveal local talents, among writers and filmmakers, from the North of Brazil. Fernando has a degree in Journalism from the Federal University of Pará and, for 7 years now, has been teaching Screenwriting and Direction at Estácio de Sá College in Belém, Pará.

No Vazio do Ar (Into the void)

Priscilla Brasil, 2022

Duration: 50 minutes.

In an attempt to understand what lies behind someone wanting to be a pilot in the Amazon, a poorly paid and often fatal activity, the author decides to return to the tiny airport where her uncle used to fly, 30 years after his death. As the airstrip seems to slide into obscurity, the pilots tell us about the precariousness, prejudice, and criminality in the skies that cover the rainforest.

Priscila Brasil is one of the most important female Brazilian filmmakers nowadays.

She was born in Belém, Brazilian Amazonia. She has been dedicated to documentary filmmaking and music videos for 20 years. She has directed numerous films, including “As Filhas da Chiquita,” “Serra Pelada,” “Terra de Negro,” “100 Years of Payxão (Paysandu),” and “Brega S/A” (as an executive producer). Additionally, she has directed music videos such as “Xirley” by Gaby Amarantos, “Japan Pop Show” by Curumin, and “Devorados” by Madame Saatan, among others. Priscilla is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, specializing in post-colonialism and global citizenship. Her research focuses on imperialism, eugenics, and development. She serves as the executive producer of Companhia Amazônica de Filmes and the coordinator of Escola Livre de Cinema da Amazônia. Presently, she is preparing to shoot her upcoming projects in the Amazon titled “Local de Crime” and “Valentina.”