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A few weeks after Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here” made history as the first-ever Brazilian film to win an Oscar, the country continues its great momentum with “Raul Seixas: Let Me Sing,” the first Brazilian series to ever play France’s Series Mania, the largest TV event in Europe. Like Salles’s film, the project is an original production of Globoplay, the freemium streaming service of Brazilian media giant Globo, and tells the story of one of Brazil’s greatest music stars, Raul Seixas.

The eight-episode series will have its world premiere in the International Panorama Competition, where it will run for best series, director, actor, actress, and the Student Award. “Raul Seixas: Let Me Sing: is created by Paulo Morelli (“City of Men”), who co-directs with his son, Pedro Morelli (“Brotherhood”), under banner O2 Filmes, where Paulo Morelli partners with Andrea Barata Ribeiro and Fernando Mereilles.

Ravel Andrade...

Spoiler Alert: This post contains details of the final episode of Max’s Beleza Fatal.

After 40 episodes, Beleza Fatal (Scars of Beauty) ended, and viewers finally found out what happened to Lola (Camila Pitanga), Sofía (Camila Queiroz), and Elvirinha (Giovanna Antonelli).

Max Brazil’s first telenovela didn’t have a happy ending for its lead characters, as is customary in the genre.

The lead question in the episode was about who killed Benjamin Argentino (Caio Blat). A woman with a head scarf and oversized shades ended Benjamin’s life, and all signs pointed to Lola. However, she denied being the culprit of the murder and was visibly devastated over her husband’s death.

Before viewers find out who killed Benjamin, we find out what happens to the rest of the characters.

With Benjamin’s death, Gisela (Julia Stockler) and Carol (Manu Morelli) inherit the Argento hospital and rename it after...

Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz’s gorgeous new melodrama joins classics that range from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? to You Can Count on Me

There are few more irritatingly prevalent errors in modern screenwriting than on-screen siblings who refer directly to each other as such: “You said it, sis.” “I’m here for you, bro.” Even the best actors can’t sell these terms of address that almost no human being actually uses: any great film about a sibling relationship should be so closely observed that you don’t need any dialogue cues to trace the family tree.

One such film is Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz’s gorgeous melodrama The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, now streaming on Curzon Home Cinema. Adapted from a popular novel by Martha Batalha, it’s a story of sisterly love enduring across decades of misfortune and forced separation. Close as children, good girl Eurídice...

This gorgeous and moving melodrama finds two women in 1950s Rio under suffocating family expectations – and sees what happens when they are defied

‘What do you want from life?” a husband drunkenly yells at his wife in Karim Aïnouz’s gorgeous and very moving melodrama set in 1950s Rio de Janeiro. The man’s wife is Euridice (Julia Stockler) and what she wants is to be a classical pianist. Her husband is angry and hurt: why can’t she just be happy in the kitchen? Adapted from a novel by Martha Batalha, this is the story of Euridice and her sister Guida (Carol Duarte): their inner conflicts and rebellion against the suffocating patriarchy of home.

The film beings a few years earlier: Euridice is 18 and applying to study music in Vienna. Her heart is broken when boy-mad Guida runs away with a no-good sailor to Greece, promising to write when she is married.

The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the six titles that will take part in the latest edition of Berlinale Series. The shows will screen online during the first week of March when the European Film Market runs, and the team are currently discussing plans for presenting some of the shows during the festival’s planned summer event.

The line-up includes Philly D.A., the strand’s first docuseries, which follows the most controversial District Attorney in the U.S. and will arrive from its premiere at Sundance. Deadline recently revealed that Dogwoof has boarded the project, which comes from Oscar-nominated duo Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald.

Latin American TV will be represented for the first time with two titles: Amongst Men (Entre Hombres), an Argentinian HBO production, and The Last Days of Gilda (Os últimos dias de Gilda) from Canal Brazil.

Russell T Davies’ drama set during the AIDS crisis,...

This year’s Berlinale Series has announced the section’s lineup of six titles.

The TV arm of the festival, which is being held online this year due to the pandemic, said the shows reflect “unconventional and surprising topics, narratives and visual style [that] comprise a mirror of our time.”

Latin American content is represented for the first time with the Argentinian HBO production “Entre hombres” (Amongst Men) and “Os últimos dias de Gilda” (The Last Days of Gilda) from Brazil. “Philly D.A.,” a U.S. production by Oscar-nominated duo Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, is the first documentary series to be invited into the program.

Separately, the Berlinale Series Market and Conference, the industry platform which is part of the European Film Market, has announced a newly created special label called “Berlinale Series Market Selects” that highlights series with high commercial potential within the “Berlinale Series Market” screenings.

Berlinale...

Greenery abounds in Brazilian auteur Karim Aïnouz’s affecting and bright-colored sisterhood saga Invisible Life. Based on Martha Batalha’s 2016 novel, it chronicles the forced disconnection between siblings Eurídice (Carol Duarte) and Guida (Julia Stockler), whose hearts break with each passing day apart in 1950s Rio de Janeiro. Victims of a male-dominated society that denies their dreams and ambitions, the sisters embody two sides of the same still resonant struggles women of the time endured. In addition to the striking work of French cinematographer Hélène Louvart, top talent was plentiful across the board. Illustrious producer Rodrigo Teixeira (Call Me By Your […]...

Greenery abounds in Brazilian auteur Karim Aïnouz’s affecting and bright-colored sisterhood saga Invisible Life. Based on Martha Batalha’s 2016 novel, it chronicles the forced disconnection between siblings Eurídice (Carol Duarte) and Guida (Julia Stockler), whose hearts break with each passing day apart in 1950s Rio de Janeiro. Victims of a male-dominated society that denies their dreams and ambitions, the sisters embody two sides of the same still resonant struggles women of the time endured. In addition to the striking work of French cinematographer Hélène Louvart, top talent was plentiful across the board. Illustrious producer Rodrigo Teixeira (Call Me By Your […]...

Karim Aïnouz’s beguilingly stunning “Invisible Life” is Brazil’s latest cinematic treasure. Even as the country’s conservative government threatens to cut the funding to the robust film scene that has given us critically acclaimed works like “Aquarius,” “Neon Bull” and “The Second Mother,” there are works like “Invisible Life” that remind international audiences of the stories the nation is fighting to tell in the face of adversity.

“Invisible Life” is a tale of two sisters in 1950s Rio de Janeiro. Guida (Julia Stockler), the slightly more adventurous one, escapes from a family dinner one night to go out with a mysterious suitor, a Greek sailor. She disappears the next morning, leaving behind only a note and one of her grandmother’s earrings she had left with the night before.

Her sister, Eurídice (Carol Duarte), blames herself for covering for her sister to leave the family without so much as saying goodbye.

As we enter the holidays Lionsgate and Bron Studios are looking to explode with the nationwide release of the Jay Roach-directed Bombshell starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie. The Fox News sexual harassment drama had a stellar limited opening last weekend, earning an estimated $312,000, with a per-screen average of $78,000. As it opens today in approximately 1,450 locations in North America, it is sure to put more coins in its piggy bank.

“This is an important, timely and topical film driven by world-class filmmakers and outstanding performances, great word of mouth, and the strong buzz and momentum after the Golden Globe and SAG nominations,” Damon Wolf, President of Worldwide Marketing for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group told Deadline. “Last week’s sold-out special screenings led to one of the highest-grossing limited release engagements of the year and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.”

“Bombshell is the first major movie to explore the #metoo movement,...

by Murtada Elfadl

With a depth of feeling and lush gorgeous colors that knock the wind out of you, Invisible Life is melodrama done right. Set in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 as two inseparable sisters have different dreams. One, Euridice played by Carol Duarte, wants to become a renowned pianist. The romantic Guida (Julia Stockler) yearns for true love. They are separated by their father and forced to live apart. They take control of their separate destinies, while never giving up hope of finding each other. We follow their story with ache in our hearts but with our eyes feasting on the beauty that fills the frame.

We got a chance to speak with director Karim Aïnouz recently in New York. [This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.]

Murtada Elfadl: Congratulations. The film is amazing.

Karim Aïnouz: Thank you. Thank you. That's good to hear

One of the things that I really love about it I grew up on Egyptian movies,...

A fertile time for Brazilian cinema, the country’s Oscar entry this year is Karim Aïnouz’s Invisible Life, which premiered under the title of The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão at Cannes this year, where it won the top prize in its Un Certain Regard section. Starring Carol Duarte, Julia Stockler, and Fernanda Montenegro, the melodrama tells the story of two sisters in Rio de Janeiro in 1950. Picked up by Amazon Studios, the U.S. trailer has now arrived ahead of a release later this month.

Leonardo Goi said in his review, “Karim Aïnouz’s The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão is a tale of resistance. It hones in on two inseparable sisters stranded in–and ultimately pulled apart by–an ossified patriarchal world. It is an engrossing melodrama where melancholia teems with rage, with a tear-jerking finale that feels so devastating because of the staggering mix of love and fury that precedes it.

Among the record 92 submissions this year, 27 titles are directed or co-directed by women. There are six documentaries in the mix, as well as two animated features. Moreover, for the first time, Ghana and Uzbekistan are each fielding an entry. However, Nigeria’s submission was disqualified by the Academy as being mostly in the English language. Here’s a guide to the films, including logline and sales or production contact.

Albania

“The Delegation”

Director: Bujar Alimani

Logline: In autumn 1990,

a political prisoner is secretly taken out of jail to meet the head of the European delegation investigating human-rights violations. But nothing goes according to plan.

Key Cast: Viktor Zhusti, Ndriçim Xhepa, Xhevdet Feri

Sales: Art Film

Algeria

“Papicha”

Director: Mounia Meddour

Logline: A female student rebels against the bans set by radicals during the civil war and plans a fashion show.

Key Cast: Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda

Sales:...

Valladolid, Spain – The Valladolid Intl. Film Festival (Seminci), the truest event dedicated to international arthouse cinema on Spain’s festival calendar, capped off eight days of screenings, press conferences and roundtables by handing out awards on Saturday evening at the Spanish city’s historic Calderon Theater. The evening’s big winners: Wang Quan’an’s “Öndög” and Karim Aïnouz’s “The Invisible Life.”

After premiering in competition at February’s Berlinale, Quan’an’s Mongolian dramedy “Öndög” has hit its stride eight months later scoring a best film award at last week’s Ghent Intl. Film Festival before repeating the feat at last night’s closing gala along with a best cinematography award for its Beijing-based French cinematographer Aymerick Pilarski.

Set on the seemingly endless planes of Mongolia, the film follows a rookie officer and a veteran shepard tasked with protecting a crime scene from harsh elements and harsher wolves.

Exclusive: Brazil’s official Oscar entry, Invisible Life will open Dec. 20 via Amazon Studios.

The tropical melodrama stars Carol Duarte, Julia Stockler and Fernanda Montenegro and is set in Rio de Janeiro, 1950. Eurídice and Guida are two inseparable sisters living at home with their conservative parents. Although immersed in a traditional life, each one nourishes a dream: Eurídice of becoming a renowned pianist, Guida of finding true love. In a dramatic turn, they are separated by their father and forced to live apart. They take control of their separate destinies, while never giving up hope of finding each other.

The Rt Features production made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival back in May where it won Un Certain Regard, then continued on to numerous awards fall festivals including Toronto, Mill Valley, London and Hamptons. Cinematographer Hélène Louvart also won the Golden Camera award at the International Cinematographers’ Film Festival Manaka Brothers.

Amazon Studios has acquired the U.S. rights to “The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão,” a Brazilian film that won the Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival this year and is making its North American debut at Tiff next month, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

Karim Aïnouz directed the foreign language film spoken in Portuguese that’s described as a “tropical melodrama” set in Rio de Janeiro in 1950.

Eurídice and Guida are two inseparable sisters living at home with their conservative parents. Although immersed in a traditional life, each one nourishes a dream: Eurídice of becoming a renowned pianist, Guida of finding true love. In a dramatic turn, they are separated by their father and forced to live apart. They take control of their separate destinies, while never giving up hope of finding each other.

Also Read: Amazon Acquires Worldwide Rights...

Exclusive: Amazon Studios has bought U.S. rights to Cannes Un Certain Regard winner The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão ahead of its North American premiere at Toronto.

European arthouse stalwart The Match Factory and CAA Media Finance brokered the deal for the well-received Brazilian film. CAA has also signed the film’s director Karim Aïnouz, an A-list festival regular.

The Portuguese-language, tropical melodrama about two sisters struggling to define themselves in the machista culture of mid-century Brazil is a strong contender to be the country’s entry for the International Feature Film Oscar. That decision will be made soon. A U.S. release date has yet to be set.

We revealed the film’s first international trailer in Cannes.

The story begins in Rio de Janeiro in 1950. Eurídice, 18, and Guida, 20, are two inseparable sisters living at home with their conservative parents. Although immersed in a traditional life, each...

Brazilian director Karim Ainouz has long been a favorite of the Lima Film Festival; it’s an association that goes all the way back to the 2003 premiere of his first full-length feature, Madame Satã, which netted a Best Actor award for star Lázaro Ramos, and a Best Cinematography nod for Walter Carvalho. Sixteen years later, with more films and television stints under his belt, Ainouz is once again back in the Festival and in competition with The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, a film which confirms the director as an elder statesman of contemporary Brazilian cinema. In 1940s-50s Rio de Janeiro, the titular Eurídice (Carol Duarte) has an unbreakable bond with her sister Guida (Julia Stockler), as they both grow up with their traditionalist parents....

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Karim Aïnouz’s The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão is a tale of resistance. It hones in on two inseparable sisters stranded in–and ultimately pulled apart by–an ossified patriarchal world. It is an engrossing melodrama where melancholia teems with rage, with a tear-jerking finale that feels so devastating because of the staggering mix of love and fury that precedes it. It is, far and above, an achingly beautiful story of sisterly love.

Based on a 2015 novel by Martha Batalha, the director’s Un Certain Regard winner homes in on two young sisters in 1950s Rio de Janeiro, the eponymous 18-year-old Eurídice (Carol Duarte) and 20-year-old Guida (Júlia Stockler). Singularly titled as it may be, The Invisible Life is the story of their relationship, and the mutual struggle to escape from the confines–literal and symbolic–of the conservative household they’ve been raised in by strict father Manuel...

"Why don't you forget about that sister of yours?" Take a look at one of the award winners from the Cannes Film Festival this year. The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, originally A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão in Portuguese, is a Brazilian film made by filmmaker Karim Aïnouz (Madame Satã). This feminist drama set in Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard category, meaning the jury voted it the best film from that section. The story follows two sisters, Euridice and Guida. They live at home, each with a dream: become a renowned pianist, or find true love. Because of their father, they are forced to live without each other. Separated, they will take control of their destiny, while never giving up on their hope of being reunited. Starring Fernanda Montenegro as Euridice, and Júlia Stockler as Guida, with Carol Duarte,...