Rio’s Caixa Cultural Screens “Soviet Nouvelle Vague” Films

By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The film exhibit “Nouvelle Vague Soviética” opened in Caixa Cultural, in Centro, yesterday Tuesday, May 22nd. Dedicated to the Soviet cinematographic production from the 1960s to the 1980s, the exhibit will screen 21 films from the post-Stalin era and promote a free workshop on the Soviet cinema until June 3rd.

With curatorship of Pedro Henrique Ferreira and Thiago Brito, the exhibit presents the Soviet “Nouvelle Vague” as an artistic expression that reflects the socio-political context of its time – the political détente after Stalin’s regime.

“Our selection gave emphasis to those who have taken part of this artistic movement. We tried to create a panorama that could reveal that historical moment and the artistic singularity of those filmmakers. We believe to have selected the best productions from this period,” explains Pedro Henrique Ferreira.

At the exhibit, which happens right before the 2018 World Cup, held in Russia for the first time, spectators will have the opportunity to watch movies that have been banned under Kruschev’s government, such as “Commissar”, by Aleksandr Askoldov, shot in 1967 but released twenty years later, when it was nominated for the Oscar.

Another production worth checking out is Aleksey German’s “Hard to Be a God”, a project that started in 1968 and only hit the Russian screens in 2014, a little after German’s death.

Apart from the most famous names from the Soviet modern cinema, like Sergei Parajanov (“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”, 1965), Andrei Konchalovski (“The First Teacher”) and Andrei Tarkovski (“Andrey Rublev”, 1966), Caixa Cultural will also screen the work of virtuous directors that are little known among the Brazilian audiences, like Marlen Khutsiev (“I Am Twenty”, 1965) and Gleb Panfilov (“No Path Through Fire”, 1968).

What’s more, from Wednesday, May 23rd, to Friday, May 25th, the event will offer a free workshop on the Soviet cinema during the “thaw” era. Run by Hernani Heffner, from the Academia Internacional de Cinema (International Academy of Cinema), the course will present the historical panorama behind the modern Soviet cinema, from post-World War II to the “Perestroika” era.

What: “Nouvelle Vague Soviética”
When: Tuesday, May 23rd, to Sunday, June 3rd – time varies according to the session.
Where: Caixa Cultural – Avenida Almirante Barroso, 25 – Centro
Entrance: R$2 – R$4