Ciné Brasília, cultural icon of the Brazilian capital, reopens after nearly two years of closure

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ciné Brasília closed its doors in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The cinema, which hosts the annual Brasília Film Festival, reopens today (6), with the Egyptian Cinema Exhibition – Cine Brasília 2nd Edition. Until Sunday (9), the people of Brasília will see six award-winning feature films with significant repercussions in Egypt.

For Amro Saad, the show’s curator, each film brings a different message. “The styles vary a lot because we have from romance to mystery and terror. When we have such different styles, it is difficult to highlight just one film. Mawlana, for example, which is the opening film, talks about religious radicalism and the consequences that a speech can provoke in a society”, he highlights.

According to Saad, who is Egyptian and naturalized Brazilian, the event aims to share with the Brazilian audience the reflections and debates made in the African country. “It is very likely that some of these debates will also be present in Brazil.

The show’s curator also states that Egyptian cinema has never been so realistic and open as in recent years. “Themes that were once considered taboo are shown with a lot of creativity and sophistication, which is why we call it ‘the new Egyptian cinema’. Since the first edition of the Egyptian Cinema Showcase at Cine Brasília, I have proposed to present to the spectator the current society of the country”.

The film Messages from the Sea, by director Daoud Abdel Sayed, is also in the showcase. According to Amro Saad, the work generated controversy in Egypt for being too far ahead of the country’s culture at the time. He also mentions The Blue Elephant, a blockbuster film in Egypt.

Admission will be 1 kilo of non-perishable food. The films will also be shown on the cinemaegipcio.com platform for those who prefer to watch at home.

The feature films will be screened today (6) to Sunday (9). The titles are Mawlana, day 6, at 8 pm; Yomeddine, day 7, at 8 pm; Photocopy, day 8, at 5 pm (an inclusive session with audio description) and 8:30 pm (without audio explanation); Dry Green, day 8, at 7 pm; Messages from the Sea, day 9, at 5 pm, and The Blue Elephant, day 9, at 8 pm.

CINE BRASILIA

The acting Secretary of Culture of the Federal District, Carlos Alberto Jr, said a program prepared for Cine Brasília, such as the screening of films from the federal capital that participated in the Brasília Festival of Brazilian Cinema.

Among them are the feature film Eduardo and Monica, inspired by the song of the same name by the band Legião Urbana and which was financed, among other sources, by the DF Culture Support Fund and screenings from Ibero-American countries.

“It is a special program, attracting more and more the community to the universe of the seventh art,” he said.

Alberto Jr highlighted that Cine Brasília is one of the most critical public movie theaters in Brazil inactivity and a jewel of the cultural heritage of the Federal District. “The reopening and return of its activities bring to the population not only quality films at affordable prices. It has a unique characteristic, which is to form audiences”, he added.

About the downtime, the secretary informed that, during the pandemic, Cine Brasília acquired a new projector and equipment to increase accessibility.