Best of Brazilian Cinema

In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.

A chronicle of a real-life bus hijacking in Rio de Janeiro that occurred on June 12, 2000.

In 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.

After a prison riot, former-Captain Nascimento, now a high ranking security officer in Rio de Janeiro, is swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials and paramilitary groups.

Lifelong friends Deco and Naldinho, who own a small steaming boat in Bahia, meet strip-dancer Karinna. Both men fall for her and their friendship is deeply shattered.

Cafundó is a 35 mm color film which blends fact with fiction in the life of João de Camargo, a former black slave (1858-1942, Sorocaba, Brazil) who, in his old age, works miracles and devotes himself to assisting others in order to attain his freedom. João de Camargo represents the genesis of religious and cultural syncretism in Brazil.

This film captures the criminal behavior of two young Copacabana thugs (the "cafajestes"). The two plan a blackmail coup against a rich old man, using nude pictures of a lady on a deserted beach. But things don't always happen as planned.

When ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother, a young man questions the tradition of violence between two rival families.

On June 12, 2000, a young man with a gun took the passengers aboard Bus 174 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hostage. This documentary examines the event itself, the resulting media frenzy, the police response, and the perpetrator's background.

A Brazilian photocopier operator falls in love with a girl who lives in an opposite house and spends his evenings looking at her through his binoculars.

Documentary about Santiago, a peculiar man who used to work for the director and his parents as a butler. The material was filmed in 1992 but, for some strange reason, the director felt he couldn't edit it and put it aside. In 2005 he remembers the unfinished film and starts its edition.

The emotive journey of a former schoolteacher who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.

The life of a real conman and one of the biggest frauds in Brazil.

Three young women from a low-income Rio neighborhood turn to prostitution to survive and fulfill desires. Despite uncertainty and hopelessness, they remain determined to love, enjoy life, and plan for the future.

Brazillian urban guerrilla fighters kidnap the American Ambassador. Now, the diplomat's life hangs in the balance - helplessly caught between a government unwilling to cooperate - and his fear of the captors themselves.

A story about four brothers from a poor family who need to fight to follow their dreams.

The strange friendship between two men of opposite social classes. Miguel is a senator. His childhood friend Jorge is a major drug-dealer. In the 1970s, they meet in prison: Miguel was there for political reasons, and Jorge, as a common criminal.

Maiquel has lost a bet and dyed his hair blond. This little event triggers a head-on collision with destiny in which Maiquel goes from nobody to hero to outlaw--all in 24 hours.

A man and his family travel 3200km (1984 miles) by bicycle, from the State of Paraíba to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in search of a job.

Éder is arrested when he confesses to killing a man. Duca, Éder's nephew, is only 15, but decides to prove his uncle's innocence, since he is sure that his uncle is assuming the crime in order to get his girlfriend out of prison.

A man emerges from the slums of Rio to lead the nonviolent cultural movement known as Afro-reggae.

Trapped between crime and corrupt public power, Edgar is tired of this life and plans to take justice into his own hands. He executes a plan that puts criminals and corrupt officials on a collision course.

A little boy goes on an adventurous quest in search of his father.

Biopic of Brazilian singer Tim Maia, from his childhood in Rio de Janeiro until his death at age 55, including his passage by the US, where he discovers a new style of music and is arrested for theft and drug possession.