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Even before coronavirus, Brazil’s film sector was in extraordinary trouble, victim of a near 18-month freeze on government film funding under far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Now, many executives fear a radical shake out. “We have the incentive freeze, coronavirus, economic crisis, need for a new audiovisual law,” says Fabiano Gullane, one of Brazil’s biggest film-tv producers. The shingle has drama “Paloma,” from Marcelo Gomes, on tap.

“I fear for the future of medium-sized and small companies in Brazil,” he says. “They are near 100% dependent on [federal film agency] Ancine, [and] may well not have the cash-flow to survive the crisis.”

Adds producer Rodrigo Teixeira: “If we don’t have access to subsidies, production will stop, not only because of the pandemic but also the way Brazilian film financing is structured.”

The double crisis will push Brazilian companies into producing for TV as well as Brazil’s digital platforms.

Last October,...

"He who did justice without drawing his sword." Strand Releasing has debuted an official Us trailer for the film Zama, adapted from Antonio Di Benedetto's acclaimed novel, about a Spanish officer stationed in Paraguay separated from his wife and children. Daniel Giménez Cacho plays Don Diego de Zama, a real-life person who struggled with his mental and emotional state as isolation, bureaucratic setbacks, and self-destructive choices begin to compound themselves in his life. The cast includes Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín, Nahuel Cano, Mariana Nunes, and Daniel Veronese. This received rave reviews from some critics at the festivals where it played last year, though it seems like an acquired taste. Some may be fully into it, others may be bored by it, but it certainly is stunning to look at. See below. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Lucrecia Martel's Zama, direct from Strand's YouTube: Zama,...

The day is almost here. Tomorrow, Venice Film Festival audiences will be the first to experience Lucrecia Martel‘s “Zama.” It’s the director’s first feature since 2008’s “The Headless Woman,” and one we’ve been eagerly awaiting. And now, a few more clips provide a new peek at the unique experience the filmmaker is bringing to the table.

Read More: Venice Film Festival: 13 Must-See Movies

Based on the novel by Antonio Di Benedetto, and starring Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín, Mariana Nunes, and Rafael Spregelburd, the film follows a bureaucrat who patiently awaits a better appointment by the king, even as he watches others around him move on to better placements.

Continue reading ‘Zama’ Clips: Meet A Man Without Fear In Lucrecia Martel’s New Film at The Playlist.

It may be called Pelé: Birth of a Legend, but Jeff and Michael Zimbalist‘s film is really about Ginga soccer and Brazil at risk of losing its soul. The climax depicts the 1958 World Cup with the country’s unexpected run to the final on the back of a seventeen year-old hobbled by a sprained knee, but it’s not his goal scoring that inspires confidence. His ability to run around the pitch in complete ignorance of the Europeans’ formation game lights a fire that burns deeper than technique. Vicente Feola (Vincent D’Onofrio trying a Portuguese accent) was hired to rebrand the team after a debilitating loss in 1950 and poor sportsmanship in 1954 by invoking that European way, but Pelé (Kevin de Paula) refused to forget his identity.

Ginga goes back to the African slave heritage of Brazil’s black community — explained as a fighting style and spirituality all but outlawed outside the soccer field.

IFC has struck a deal with CAA and Wme Global for North American rights to Pele: Birth Of A Legend.

Michael and Jeffrey Zimbalist wrote and directed the biopic about the legendary Brazilian footballer and World Cup winner and Imagine Entertainment and Seine Pictures produced. IFC will release in 2016.

Vincent D’Onofrio stars alongside Brazilian musician Seu Jorge, rising Mexican star Diego Boneta and Colm Meaney Rodrigo Santoro. Additional cast includes local talents Mariana Nunes, Milton Gonçalves, Rafael Henrique, Marcus Vinicius, Julio Levy, Thelmo Fernandes, Felipe Simas, Charles Myara, Jerome Franz and Roger Haag.

Bloom handles international sales and has concluded deals in the UK (Signature), France (Wild Bunch), Greece (Odeon), Italy, (M2), Portugal (Lusomundo), Spain (Flins y Piniculas), Hong Kong (intercontinental), Iceland (Sam Film), Indonesia (Pt Amero) and Israel (United King).

Rights have also gone in Japan (Asmik Ace), the Middle East (Front Row), the Philippines (Pt Parkit), SouthEastern Asia Television (Star/Fox), South Africa (Times...