Brazil Announces 16 Films to Compete for Seat at 2017 Oscars

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ministry of Culture in Brazil announced Monday (September 5th) the Brazilian films that were selected for a chance to participate in the 2017 Oscars. The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, commonly referred to as the Oscars, will honor the best films of 2016 and is scheduled to take place on February 26, 2017, in Los Angeles, California.

In Brazil, sixteen film titles are in the running for the selection and submission, a number almost double than last year when nine films participated in the process. Government news sources report a special committee will review the films and choose one to represent the country in the race for a place among the candidates for best foreign language film.

The result will be announced on September 12th at a ceremony in the Cinemateca Brasileira in São Paulo. The feature films that will participate in the selection are (in no specific order): A Despedida (The Farewell) by Marcelo Galvão, Mais Forte que o Mundo (Stronger than the World) by Afonso Poyart, O Outro Lado do Paraíso (The Other Side of Paradise) by André Ristum, Pequeno Segredo (Little Secret) by David Schurmann, and Chatô – O Rei do Brasil (Chatô – The King of Brazil) by Guilherme Fontes.

Also Uma Loucura de Mulher (A madness of woman) by Marcus Ligocki Júnior, Aquarius by Kleber Mendonça Filho, Nise – O Coração da Loucura (Nise – The Heart of Madness) by Roberto Berliner, Vidas Partidas (Matching Lives) by Marcos Schetchman, O Começo da Vida (The Beginning of Life) by Estela Renner and Menino 23: Infâncias Perdidas no Brasil (Boy 23: Lost childhoods in Brazil) by José Belisario Cabo Penna Franca.

And Tudo que Aprendemos Juntos (Everything We Learned Together) by Sérgio Machado, Campo Grande by Sandra Kogut, A Bruta Flor do Querer (Wanting a Bad Flower) by Andradina Azevedo and Dida Andrade, Até que a Casa Caia (Until the House Caia) by Mauro Giuntini, O Roubo da Taça (The Cup Theft) by Caito Ortiz.

The special committee that will select the the best Brazilian film to be submitted for selection into the Oscars is formed by members of the various roles in the production of audiovisual industry: Adriana Scorzelli Rattes; Luiz Alberto Rodrigues; George Torquato Firmness; Mark Petruccelli; Paul of Tarsus Basto Menelaus; Silvia Maria Rabello Sachs; Sylvia Regina Bahiense Naves; Carla Camurati and Bruno Barreto.

The last time a movie selected by Brazil was nominated foreign film Oscar was in 1999, the film was Central Station by Walter Salles, but did not win the award. In 2004, Cidade de Deus (City of God) by Fernando Meirelles, received four nominations (although originally released in 2002), but not for best foreign film.

The City of God production was nominated for a number of categories; best director, best adapted screenplay, best editing and best cinematography, however lost most to the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.