Rio’s Second Marginal Film Festival Begins this Wednesday

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Wednesday, September 19th, the second ‘Mostra do Filme Marginal’ (Marginal Film Festival) will premier at the ‘Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica’ (Hélio Oiticica Municipal Center of Art) in Rio’s Centro. The festival will be showing 106 independent films at venues across the city from Wednesday, September 19th until Sunday, September 23rd.

For five days, Mostra do Filme Marginal will be showing movies that celebrate the power of resistance in the face of marginalization, discrimination and state-sponsored violence.

They will also be holding talks and workshops at venues across the city, including the Centro Municipal de Artes Hélio Oiticica, the ‘Centro Afro Carioca’ (Afro Carioca Center) in Lapa, and the ‘Escola de Cinema Darcy Ribeiro’ (Darcy Ribeiro School of Cinema) in Centro.

In addition, the festival will be showing films at the ‘Museu da Maré’ (Maré Museum) in Complexo Maré, home of murdered Rio councilor and activist Marielle Franco. And there will be further showings at Areninha Carioca Hermeto Pascoal in Bangu; ‘Biblioteca Engenho do Mato’ (Engenho do Mato Library) in Niterói; plus special screenings at Espaço Outrx, in Rio’s Zona Norte (North Zone).

Espaço Outrx – a collective, self-managed cultural center in Vila Isabel – hosted the first incarnation of the film festival in 2017, and this year it will also be throwing the closing party for the festival on Saturday, September 22nd, which will feature live performances from Slam das Minas, Karma MC, and Jamaican musician Nilton Pensante.

Films showing in this year’s festival include ‘Um trem para Austin’ (A train to Austin), a documentary about the racially-motivated murder of Matheus Ervandre, and his parents’ struggle for justice; and ‘Remoções’ (Removals), a film detailing the forced eviction and subsequent resistance of the 77,206 people during the build-up to the Rio Olympics and World Cup.

What: Mostra do Filme Marginal: resistência contra o poder
When: September 19th to September 23rd – see sessions to check time details.
Where: Venues vary – check event page for more details.
Entrance: FREE