Festcine Imperial Film Festival Opens in Rio’s Petrópolis

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Between September 1st and 4th, the small mountain city of Petrópolis will host the new ‘Festcine Imperial – Festival de Cinema de Petrópolis’, presenting seventeen national and international films. The festival will offer free admission, with screenings shown at the historic city’s famous landmarks, the Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) and the Museu Imperial (Imperial Museum).

Nestled in the mountains of the Serra dos Órgãos, the stunning imperial city of Petrópolis can be found just an hour’s drive from downtown Rio. In honor of the films, and to recall the glamor of imperial times, the opening of the festival start with a masquerade ball at the Crystal Palace for guests.

Organized by Pacheco Monteiro Comunicações, with co-production of Kinobrás and curated by Alexandre Macedo, the festival expects to receive about 10,000 people during the event.

“The goal of Festcine Imperial is to value and recognize Petrópolis as a major hub of art, culture and investment,” representatives Dani Brescianini and Luciana Pacheco said in a press release.

Among the attractions will be a ‘Panorama Brazil’ series, which will present prominent Brazilian filmmakers in independent cinema. Also working with international partnerships, through embassies, consulates, institutions and foundations, there will be the ‘Panorama International’ series, with films from Portugal, France, Germany, and other countries.

Films include the 2012 Franco-Portuguese epic war movie, “Lines of Wellington” staring John Malkovich and Catherine Deneuve. It is a story set in 1810, when the French army commanded by Marshal Massena, were defeated in the Serra do Buçaco by the Anglo-Portuguese army of general Wellington.

Also screening is the drama “A Cold Night”, an independent co-production of Brazil/Denmark/Namibia. In the “Mostra Direitos Humanos” (Shows of Human Rights) series, the Franco-Swiss production “A Lista de Carla” (Carla’s List) and the Belgian “O Caso Pinochet” (The Pinochet Case) will screen, among others.

The Festcine Imperial will also present the Cine Sorriso (Cine Smile) session, especially for children, with two animated feature films: the French “O Passarinho Amarelo” (Yellow Finch) and the Brazilian “Peixonauta – Agente Secreto da O.S.T.R.A.” (Fishtronaut – Secret Agent O.S.T.R.A.).

Among the highlights of the Festcine Imperial programming are also two new documentaries in theaters: the movie “Cicero Dias, Picasso’s Compadre,” by Vladimir Carvalho and the short film “Zelito – 50 Years of Cinema” by Ivan Angelis. The festival will also show the movie “City of God – 10 Years Later” by Cavi Borges and Luciano Vidigal, which shows the long list of success and failures by Fernando Meirelles.

Petrópolis has approximately 300,000 residents and was founded in 1843 by Emperor Dom Pedro II as he sought refuge from the summer heat. The city boasts streets lined with the kind of stunning pastel-colored mansions and quaint iron bridges that would rival any historic European city.

Find out more about the event and film screenings at their web site of Facebook page.