By Ciara Long, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Saturday, January 7th, the award-winning short film ‘O Beijo de Carnival’ (The Kiss of Carnival) launched online, in anticipation of the unofficial blocos that took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro the next day.
Directed by Rio-based filmmaker Raniere Figueiredo, the experimental film features more than thirty couples participating over two years of Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro.
Shot in black and white, ‘O Beijo de Carnival’ and aims to show “moments of tenderness, surrender and freedom” amid “five days of joy, delirium and fatigue”.
Accompanied by an original instrumental score, the film shows Carnival-goers meeting and kissing in slow motion before parting ways. Conceptualized and created without sponsorship, the film was made as an artistic exploration of one element of Rio’s Carnival culture.
“This short was made in love and for love,” said the producers on the film’s Facebook page in their launch announcement. “It is simply our art in favor of love and Carnival!”
Adding, “May it inspire other reveling couples, to prove that love is possible even within the feast of the flesh and that it helps to rescue moments and eternalize stories.”
‘O Beijo de Carnival’ won ‘Best Experimental Film’ at the third edition of Festival de Cinema de Três Passos, a Brazilian cinematic festival, as well as becoming a semi-finalist in the ‘New Filmmakers’ category of Melbourne’s 2016 Phoenix Film Festival.
It also made its way into official selections for Germany’s 2016 Mira Latin American Film Festival and Bulgaria’s 2016 Quarantine Film Festival.
The film will be available online via production team Guerrilha Audiovisual’s vimeo page until midnight on January 21st, and more information is available on the film’s official Facebook page.
What: ‘O Beijo de Carnaval’ short film
When: January 7th until January 21st
Where: Showing online via Vimeo
Cost: Free