RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – “Marighella” now has an official premiere date: May 14th. The announcement was made on Thursday, January 16th, by the film crew, directed by Wagner Moura and starring Seu Jorge.
The production, which was initially scheduled to reach Brazilian theaters in November last year, had its premiere suspended in September. Since then, the feature film had no new release schedule.
The film recounts the last years of the life of Carlos Marighella’s, a guerrilla fighter who led one of the largest resistance movements against the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1960s. The film was screened in Berlin, in February last year, in addition to screenings in smaller festivals, such as in Goa, India, and in Bari, Italy.
A Troubled Release
In September last year, O2 Filmes, the production company responsible for “Marighella”, released a note announcing that it had not been able to comply with “all the procedures” required by the National Film Agency (ANCINE). Previously, the production company had already received a negative reply from ANCINE regarding a refund request worth R$1 million (US$250,000).
Since it was released at the Berlin Film Festival almost a year ago, the distributor Paris Filmes has been under pressure to launch “Marighella” in the commercial circuit. During his time at the Berlinale, director, Wagner Moura, said: “I would very much like the film to be released in Brazil as soon as possible”.
In June, it was announced that “Marighella” would reach Brazilian movie theaters on November 20th, Black Awareness Day. The announcement was made by Mário Magalhães, author of “Marighella,” a full-length biography that was the basis for the film’s script, signed by Wagner Moura and Felipe Braga.
The trajectory of “Marighella”, even before its premiere, has also been marked by ideological clashes, especially on social media.
The biopic has been the target of a campaign to get low marks on “IMDb”, the main data website about cinema. When ANCINE refused O2 Filmes’ request for reimbursement, the action was celebrated by Carlos Bolsonaro, Rio’s city councilor and son of the President of the Republic.