Arquivo / 49ª mostra

Editorial | Mostra

Between Dystopia and Utopia

The beautiful image of “Pather Panchali” (“Song of the Little Road”, 1955), the debut film by master filmmaker Satyajit Ray, will accompany us throughout the 48th Mostra. The storyboard for this first instalment of the Apu Trilogy was graciously provided by Ray’s son, Sandip Ray, in tribute to his father and to celebrate Indian cinema, which takes centre stage at this year’s festival. As the great Akira Kurosawa once said: “Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.” So let’s bask in the warmth of the sun and moon, in the humanism, coherence, morality, and beauty of Ray’s work —rare treasures in these dystopian times.

In this spirit, we begin our marathon with immense gratitude to our sponsors, partners, and supporters, who have made this event possible. We are also deeply thankful to the entire Mostra team, whose hard work throughout the year has resulted in yet another edition we are incredibly proud of.

The 48th Mostra will kick off with “Maria” by Pablo Larraín, a film that portrays the final days of the iconic lyrical singer Maria Callas. The screening could not be held in a more emblematic location than Sala São Paulo —the concert hall, a source of pride for both São Paulo residents and Brazilians, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2024. Twenty-six years ago, we held our first screening in this prestigious space near the Júlio Prestes Train Station, followed by three additional opening sessions in subsequent years.

This year, we are proud to honour filmmaker Raoul Peck with the Humanity Award. Born in Haiti, raised in Congo and New York, he studied in France, graduated in a divided Berlin, and lived in exile before becoming a filmmaker. Perhaps it is also due to this diverse background that his work reflects concerns for humanity and social injustices. “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found”, his most recent effort and winner of the Golden Eye, Cannes’s prestigious documentary award, will have special screenings as part of Mostra’s programme.

The Leon Cakoff Prize will be presented to one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema history, Francis Ford Coppola. His latest work, “Megalopolis”, will be screened on the closing night of Mostra. This award honours visionary filmmakers —bold directors who take risks in their craft and transform the language of cinema.

As in every edition, Mostra showcases the latest works from renowned filmmakers such as Walter Salles, Jia Zhang-ke, Miguel Gomes, Patricia Mazuy, Tsai Ming-Liang, Radu Jude, Alain Guiraudie, David Cronenberg, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Lav Diaz, and Hong Sang-soo, along with titles from many other masters. We will also feature highly anticipated films that have garnered awards on the festival circuit, including Sean Baker’s “Anora”, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes; Mati Diop’s “Dahomey”, recipient of the Golden Bear at Berlin; and Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist”, which won the Silver Lion for best direction at Venice. Additionally, audiences can look forward to a wide selection of works from emerging directors.

Christophe Honoré’s “Marcello Mio”, starring Chiara Mastroianni, has inspired us to commemorate the centenary of Marcello Mastroianni. We will present five films by directors of different nationalities, all in new copies, each showcasing Mastroianni through the unique lens of Manoel de Oliveira, Raúl Ruiz, Theo Angelopoulos, Jacques Demy, and Nikita Mikhalkov. 

As a promoter of Brazilian cinema history, Mostra will showcase newly restored copies of “Também Somos Irmãos” (1949) and “Auto de Vitória” (1966), both restored by the Brazilian Cinematheque, as well as “One Is Few, Two Would Fill” (1970), restored by the Capitólio Cinematheque, and “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” (1991). To honour the 20th anniversary of Rogério Sganzerla’s passing, we will also present a new digital copy of “Abismu” (1977).

We are honored, yet a bit sheepish, to present “Viva o Cinema! Uma História da Mostra de São Paulo”, directed by Marina Person and Gustavo Rosa de Moura. This series, by Max/Warner Bros. Discovery, offers the directors’ personal perspective on Mostra and its history.

For the fourth consecutive year, we are hosting the Audiovisual Ideas Market, which includes the VIII Fórum Mostra, the VIII Da Palavra à Imagem (From Word to Image) and the IV Market. These initiatives solidify Mostra not only as a space for film screenings but also as a meeting point for the audiovisual sector, where professionals gather to discuss its artistic, commercial, and political dimensions.

Cinema portrays the state of the world, recalling history and inviting contemplation. In line with this, we will present perspectives on the Levantine peoples with a selection of films from and about the Middle East. Among them are the Berlin double award-winner “No Other Land”, created by a Palestinian-Israeli collective; the recently awarded in Venice “Happy Holidays”, by Palestinian director Scandar Copti; “Green Line”, by Lebanese filmmaker Sylvie Ballyot; and “The List”, by Hana Makhmalbaf. Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai will present his two latest works showcased on the international circuit: “Shikun” and “Why War”. Additionally, we will pay tribute to pioneering Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi with screenings of three of his most significant films.

Although current events may make us feel like we are living in a dystopia, as depicted in Asif Kapadia’s new film “2073”, we still believe that cinema fosters empathy and helps us understand that the people of a certain place are not defined by their terrible leaders. Through cinema, we can also glimpse utopia on the horizon again, as seen in Maria de Medeiros’s “April Captains” (2000), presented in a specially restored copy to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. These are hopeful times on the horizon for both the Portuguese and Brazilians.

And because we stubbornly believe in always striving toward utopia, this year, Mostra is launching the 1st Mostrinha, featuring a selection of 22 films for children and young audiences. The opening film will be “Noah’s Ark,” directed by Sérgio Machado and Alois Di Leo, a co- production between Brazil and India, adding an Indian flavour to this new section’s offerings.

It is also because we believe that utopia may still be on the horizon that Mostra is once again a carbon-neutral event, as it has been for the past ten years.

Have a great Mostra, everyone!

Renata de Almeida

Editorial | Petrobras

Petrobras supports Brazilian culture as a transformative force that drives development. Culture is a powerful energy that moves and changes society. For over 40 years, since its first sponsorship, Petrobras has been committed to Brazilian culture and is making ever greater progress with the Petrobras Cultural Program.

The São Paulo International Film Festival is among the most prestigious events in the audiovisual industry, on the national and international levels. Petrobras’ sponsorship of Mostra not only reaffirms the company’s role in the promotion of culture, it marks a comeback, inaugurating a new chapter in the celebration of its 70 years of history and consolidating its position as one of the biggest supporters of cinema in Brazil.

Events like Mostra make a significant contribution to the economy, bringing innovation, creativity and sustainability to economic dynamics. At the same time, Petrobras is an ally to the country’s development in its various industries, investing in different sources of energy —including culture. In 2024, we have launched the largest public call for the selection of cultural projects in the history of our company, and will allocate R$ 250 million in support of these projects throughout Brazil.

Petrobras is proud to invest in Brazilian culture of all shapes and sizes, bringing art to different audiences from North to South of the country. Because, for us, culture is also energy.

To learn more about the Petrobras Cultural program, please visit www.petrobras.com.br/cultura.

Editorial | Itaú

The relationship between Itaú Unibanco and the São Paulo International Film Festival is the result of a long-standing partnership that has been in place for over a decade. This partnership reaffirms the bank’s commitment to encouraging creativity, knowledge production and experiences that inspire new ways of looking at our reality.

Through Itaú Cultural (IC) —an institution with 37 years of participation in the fields of Arts and Culture—, several activities and initiatives are carried out in favor of the production, dissemination and promotion of Brazilian moving image. Thus, renewing our support of Mostra —a staple in the country’s calendar— is in line with the work we continue to develop.

Itaú Cultural Play, IC’s streaming platform, has been available to the public since 2021, offering a diverse catalog of more than 360 titles, among which are feature and short films, series, documentaries, animations, children’s movies, works of fiction, not to mention specially curated classics and contemporary productions. There is also a selection of films with accessibility features. Access is free, all one has to do is sign up at itauculturalplay.com.br.

Audiovisual media is also the focus of another initiative by Itaú Cultural: project Ocupação, dedicated to preserving the memory of cultural personalities and encouraging dialogue with new generations. The list of honorees includes established filmmakers —Eduardo Coutinho, Luiz Sérgio Person, Rogério Sganzerla— and distinguished actors —Tônia Carrero, Laura Cardoso, Lima Duarte.

For professionals, researchers, students and those interested in the field and the Arts in general, the Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural and the Escola Itaú Cultural websites offer encyclopedic entries, content and courses that can be accessed free of charge. Browse itaucultural.org.br or access our social media to keep up-to-date with the program, be it in person or online, and to enjoy a variety of content (posts, videos, podcasts and interviews) about the world of cinema.

Itaú Cultural

Editorial | Sesc

Human narratives

Historically, the art of cinema has been constituted by associating films into artistic movements, be it for the trends, techniques and approaches that they bring together, or by the social and geographical contexts from which they emerge. Audiovisual works can also be categorized according to the commercial or independent aspect of their production and circulation.

In any case, films —whether fictional or documentary— are capable of offering images and messages on different subjects, from an essentially human point of view.

The São Paulo International Film Festival is one of the most traditional Brazilian festivals dedicated to the seventh art, celebrated through the curation of a large volume of national and international productions, creating a panorama of practices and perspectives from various cultures around the world. In addition to bringing Brazilian viewers closer to these films, the event provides a meeting point for professionals, improving skills within the sector.

A partner of Mostra since the event’s very first edition in 1977, Sesc believes in the power of sharing cinema, be it at CineSesc, in the capital city of São Paulo, or other Sesc units across the state. This year we also welcome the 1st Mostrinha, an event dedicated to children and youngsters offering playful and socio-educational screenings and encouraging the cultural habit of film-going.

By opening its doors to the festival, Sesc also reaffirms its role in the dissemination and development of audiovisual productions, expanding access to them by different audiences. In this way, it is the wish of this institution that, despite their differences, people can come closer together through cinema, recognizing shared experiences in the narratives.

Luiz Deoclecio Massaro Galina
Director at Sesc São Paulo

Editorial | ANCINE

ANCINE’s support and participation in the São Paulo International Film Festival and the Audiovisual Ideas Market represent a valuable opportunity to highlight and promote Brazilian audiovisual production.

In 2024, cinema in Brazil is experiencing a phase of renewal with the return of the Screen Quota system, which guarantees space for the exhibition of national productions in theaters throughout the country.

This year, the audiovisual sector has also seen a significant increase in investments for the internationalization of Brazilian cinema, driven by the Public Call for International Co-productions. With an investment of R$ 220 million —the largest sum in the history of the Audiovisual Sector Fund (FSA)—, Brazil strengthens its transnational partnerships within the sector, creating new opportunities for our productions to reach audiences both within Brazilian borders and around the world.

In August of this year, new investments for FSA 2024’s Action Plan for Public Calls were also given the green light, with an aim to encourage the artistic quality and commercial success of Brazilian productions.

To increase transparency around fostering Brazilian audiovisual production, ANCINE has launched a series of interactive panels providing a detailed overview of the activity in the country, presenting data on the number of productions, the level of investment, and other important indicators. This information makes it easier to understand the evolution of the audiovisual sector in Brazil, allowing professionals, researchers and the general public to closely monitor changes and trends related to it.

The Brazilian Film Agency (ANCINE) not only works firmly towards placing a high value on audiovisual and cultural assets, it is committed to the development of the audiovisual sector in Brazil. In doing so, it guarantees entertainment, culture and citizenship for the benefit of Brazilian society as a whole.

Alex Braga
Chief executive officer at ANCINE

Editorial | Projeto Paradiso

Since the launch of Projeto Paradiso in 2018, we have cultivated a strong and productive bond with the São Paulo International Film Festival. This year, as we welcome the festival’s 48th edition, we are excited to once again participate in different ways, and to once again celebrate and value cinema from Brazil and beyond.

The Audiovisual Ideas Market, our partner since its inception, also returns for a 4th edition. In it, we will hold Impact Day – Development, an event in partnership with the Hubert Bals Fund. We decided it was important and relevant to dedicate a whole day to discussions about the crucial, yet neglected, role that investments play in the early stages of audiovisual projects. In this event, we will launch a new publication co-created with the Hubert Bals Fund in its first international partnership of this nature. This publication will explore how financial support in the initial phase of development can not only transform the trajectory of a film, but bring end-to-end results in the production chain, with reflections on the global stage and case studies from Brazil.

The event will also feature two central panels: the first will be about funding for the development phase, bringing representatives of public agencies together to discuss the national and global challenges involved in financing of this kind; the second will expand on the impact this investment has on the career of films, showcasing concrete examples. For us, encouraging this initial phase of creation and artistic conception is a key piece in building a stronger, more diverse industry that is connected to the audience. This is what we seek to demonstrate with this initiative.

During Mostra’s closing ceremony, for the second consecutive year, a Brazilian fiction feature film from the Mostra Brasil section will be recognized with the Paradiso Award, reaffirming our commitment to national cinema. This award aims to support the commercial release of its recipient, and to promote its connection with audiences inside movie theaters. We believe that the value of a film also lies in its ability to move and impact viewers, and our goal is to help these stories reach as many people as possible.

From the very launch of Projeto Pradiso, which also took place at Mostra, we are proud to say our relationship with this festival has only grown stronger, fueling public debate and promoting Brazilian talent and cinematic works. With initiatives such as Impact Day and the Paradiso Award, we honor our commitment to fostering the audiovisual ecosystem, nurturing relevant reflections alongside partner institutions and helping Brazilian cinema to shine on national and international screens.

We would like to once more express our gratitude for the platform given to us over the years, and wish everyone a wonderful Mostra!

Josephine Bourgois
Chief executive officer at Projeto Paradiso

Retrospective | Satyajit Ray

Amidst an infinity of films, scenes and frames fighting for the audience’s attention, the most viewed image at Mostra represents something so common, and yet extraordinary: a house. In it, we see a woman combing a girl’s hair. In the background, a man and a boy sit by the door. 

The simplicity of the portrayed situation, of the space and lines, sums up the powers of Satyajit Ray’s (1921-1992) art. The drawing, chosen as poster art for the 48th Mostra, belongs to a storyboard created by the Indian filmmaker in preparation for his first feature film, “Song of the Little Road”. The tableau depicts the daily life of a family, delineating two universes: the inside and the outside; home and the world. 70 years on, contemporary cinema continues to reflect the complex, sometimes conflicting relations between the private and public spheres. 

In this retrospective, which showcases seven titles from the first and most decisive decade of Ray’s filmography, these reflections are present, as well as a delicate x-ray of transformations and tensions within Indian society. 

The Apu trilogy, comprising “Song of the Little Road” (“Pather Panchali”, 1955), “The Unvanquished” (“Aparajito”, 1956) and “The World of Apu” (“Apur Sansar”, 1959), traces both Indian social conditions and individual values. As in coming-of-age novels, Apu’s trajectory from childhood to adulthood also comments on the collective history of his time. 

In the interval between “The Big City” (1963) and “The Hero” (1966), selected films show Ray’s ethnographic eye as well as his philosophical and political vision, refined in translating the risks of modernity and burdens of tradition. Within this window are “The Lonely Wife” (“Charulata”, 1964), an absolute masterpiece about the female condition, and “The Coward” (1965), a portrait of behavioral changes in his country. 

At a decisive time in the history of cinema, when many filmmakers strived to produce more than mere commercial pieces, the emergence of names outside the Europe-Hollywood axis was favored. 

Ray’s films helped decentralize the cinephile gaze, broadening the audience’s sensibilities and introducing new ways of seeing. In short, he was one of the founding fathers of what would later be called “peripheral cinema” and “world cinema”. At the time, Ray’s work acted as a north star in the construction of third cinemas around the world. 

Although he was first deemed a neorealist by critics eager to label his work, Ray’s realism followed a different path. He learned about cinema by watching films. This way, he absorbed both Hollywood’s narrative efficiency (especially in films by John Ford and John Huston) and Europe’s freedom to combine authenticity and personality (as in the films of Jean Renoir). 
Rather than exclusively European influences, it may be more fruitful to link Ray to an elusive combination of realism and local traditions, as is the case with his compatriots Guru Dutt and Ritwik Ghatak, and representatives of the Parallel Cinema movement. Halfway across the world, for filmmakers such as Nelson Pereira dos Santos, assimilating realism served as shelter against the cultural hegemony of world powers. A decade later, in Iran, it fostered a creative effervescence that served as nourishment for many filmmakers, among which is Abbas Kiarostami. 

Ray’s work, however, was based on more than cinephilia: in its foundation are other artistic languages rooted in local culture. He was already an experienced illustrator, writer and composer before adding “filmmaker” to his list of talents. He illustrated an edition of the novel “Pather Panchali”, by Indian writer Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, which served as the basis for his first feature film. Later, he would join that selected group of directors who composed music for his own films, with the likes of Charles Chaplin and John Carpenter. 

Another equally important influence lies in his Bengali origins. Born and raised in Calcutta, Ray was a late heir of what came to be known as the Bengal Renaissance. With its origins in the late 18th century, this social, intellectual and cultural movement brought together anti-colonialists and progressive minds who aimed to emancipate the nation and its individuals, both men and women. 

Ray’s grandfather and father had been prominent members of this movement, which has Rabindranath Tagore as one of its best-known figures in the West. With them, Ray shared not only his ideals, but his excellence in multiple creative languages. 

In a brilliant article, French critic Michel Ciment emphasizes that, in Ray’s work, the legacy of the Bengal Renaissance spirit is combined to “the struggles of Nehru and Gandhi, which accompanied his adolescence and early adulthood (he was 20 years old at the time of India’s independence). Although he admits to having had little political awareness in his youth, his work demonstrates, from the beginning, a sharp understanding of relations between individuals and society.” 

All films curated by Mostra for the Satyajit Ray retrospective provide insight into these material and spiritual realities of the India where he lived and worked, and are among the most definitive titles in the history of cinema.

Francis Ford Coppola | Leon Cakoff Prize

Patriarch, godfather, or patron —the title doesn’t matter. What matters is recognizing the central role Francis Ford Coppola has played in transforming cinema over the past 50 years. His seamless transition between classical and modern forms, his use of cinema as a tool to reveal what politics, business, and history often obscure, and his belief in technology as a fundamental partner in the reinvention of cinematic art are just a few of the many contributions that cement his legacy as a filmmaker.

To audiences, Coppola has been and continues to be a reference point for successive generations, with his name synonymous with great films. His latest project, “Megalopolis”, which will close the 48th Mostra with flair, lives up to the stature of its creator.

Coppola had been working on the blockbuster for 40 years. To complete it, the producer-director risked his entire fortune. As he often says in interviews, “You can’t make art without risk, any more than you can make babies without sex.”

Taking risks is a defining practice of Coppola’s career, one that helps explain the greatness he has achieved in the history of cinema. Prudence and modesty are terms that have been absent from his vocabulary since his early 20s, when he started directing low-budget productions with the confidence of a seasoned filmmaker.

His dual roles as a talented director and ambitious producer complemented his abilities as a screenwriter, which earned him his first Oscar for “Patton” (1970). The Brazilian version of the title, “Patton – Rebel or Hero?”, contains an ambiguity that foreshadows the complex relationship Coppola had with the Hollywood system, which both embraced and rejected his extraordinary personality.

After countless arguments, stubbornness, and turbulence during production, “The Godfather” (1972) stormed into theatres with the force of a hurricane. Yet, despite the mountains of awards, the overwhelming devotion from audiences and critics, and its presence on every best-of list, Coppola refused to settle into a comfort zone.

Between the narrative conventions established by the first instalment of “The Godfather” trilogy and the tortuous structure of its sequel, released two years later, it became clear that Coppola was not one to exchange the uncertain for the safe. “The Conversation” (1974), shot in between the two, further highlighted that his cinema did not conform to any mould. When it came to choosing between the Oscar and the Palme d’Or, Coppola simply claimed both.

During the 1970s, a decade marked by his greatest achievements, Coppola invested years and millions of dollars in filming the monumental epic “Apocalypse Now” (1979), an immense spectacle of destruction. Now regarded as a classic, the film initially received mixed reviews. Viewers found it too lengthy, too mature, and too dark, especially at a time when they were more captivated by intergalactic battles than the harsh realities of war.

The catastrophic box-office performance by colleagues’ blockbusters prompted the industry to hit the brakes. Enough auteurism, bring on the entertainment.

“Is it escapism you seek? Then escapism you shall have —but on my own terms,” decided Coppola.

The blend of Hollywood’s grandiose production system with themes of romance and disillusionment resulted in the underrated “One from the Heart” (1981). This film marked the beginning of a seemingly chaotic era, characterized by a rollercoaster of small masterpieces, including “The Outsiders” (1983), “Rumble Fish” (1983), the enchanting “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986), and the personal “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” (1988).

Coppola also made bold moves with projects like “The Cotton Club” (1984) and renewed his grand vision for cinematic spectacles in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992).

This time, success was fleeting for those who only followed Coppola’s work as a director. Instead of opting for retirement or obscurity, the fatherly producer was strategically planning for his daughter Sofia’s rise to prominence.

The digital revolution, which gained momentum from 2000 on, was a change that Coppola had anticipated two decades earlier. While blockbusters became the hallmark of Hollywood cinema during this time, he chose to channel his restlessness into small-scale projects featuring unconventional narratives, such as “Youth Without Youth” (2007) and “Tetro” (2009).

Meanwhile, “Megalopolis”, his decades-long project, was in development. “It’s a film bigger than me,” said the author.

The decision to award this mythic artist the Leon Cakoff Prize at the 48th Mostra acknowledges his visionary role, his art of excess, and his enduring faith in cinema that transcends time.

Humanity Award | Raoul Peck

Born in Haiti, raised in Congo and New York, schooled in France, graduated in Berlin amid a wall of concrete and ideology —Raoul Peck is, first and foremost, a citizen of the world. 

These roamings from childhood all the way to adulthood were not driven by choice, rather by adversity. His father, an agronomist, fled Haiti with the family when dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier began persecuting those he considered “enemies”. After a period of safety in Congo, turmoil ensued after the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, forcing the Pecks to emigrate to the United States. In his early teens, Raoul enrolled in a Jesuit boarding school in Orleans, France. From there, he moved to Germany, to pursue higher education in engineering, economics, and film. 

As a filmmaker, Peck explores this condition of permanent otherness. Life on the go, in turn, sharpened his perception around social mechanisms of exclusion, broadening definitions of racism beyond skin color. 

Peck’s first shorts, produced during film school in Germany, outline the political focus his later features would consolidate from 1987 onwards. 

“Leugt” (1983), his first solo exercise, is an essay film centered on montage, reminiscent of the critical reinterpretation of images practiced by German filmmaker and theorist Harun Farocki. The short is composed of photographs of a visit by Ronald Reagan, then President of the United States, to Berlin in 1982. The images show scenes of war on the streets, with tanks, barbed wire fences and men in uniform repressing their opponents. For contrast, the word “peace” is heard repeatedly in the audio track, with fragments of Reagan’s speech. 

Archival material is interspersed with illustrations by Gustave Doré, in which the powers that be (the church, educational institutions, the state) appear as a sign of repression. This back-and-forth between photos and drawings, from one time frame to another, creates a short circuit, a shuffling of past and present, demonstrating that everything changes in order to remain the same. 

Four decades later, the ambitious documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes” (2021) bets against the belief in history as progress, revealing extermination as a practice inherent to capitalism. 

Although Peck has avoided associating with political parties, he sees himself as a militant artist. “The militant cinema of the 1960s produced propaganda films, preaching to the converted through often technically precarious efforts. I recognize I am a product of this time, but I try to do things in a different way, by getting closer to the audience and offering reflections, rather than imposing lessons”, explains the filmmaker in an interview with French journalist Virginie Bloch-Lainé for program À Voix Nue. 

Peck’s feature debut, “Haitian Corner” (1987), showcases his talent for cinema that refuses to antagonize documentary and fiction. The film is also the first in a series of portraits in which a character’s power to choose is hijacked by political circumstances in Haiti and other countries. 

Peck’s filmography also vibrates on the same wavelength as The Black Lives Matter movement. Suffering and erasure are recurring experiences in his stories. Through them, he highlights similarities between the child who witnesses Papa Doc’s madness in ““The Man by the Shore” (1993), and the Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba in “Lumumba” (2000). 

Peck has also filmed portraits of personalities who he considers essential to the way capitalism and racism complement one another. “I Am Not Your Negro” (2016) and “The Young Karl Marx” (2017) are examples of this insightful and informative side of his work. 

James Baldwin, on whom “I Am Not Your Negro” is based, is an indispensable reference for interpreting Peck’s work. According to the filmmaker, “Baldwin completely deconstructed Western societies. He went beyond limited notions of class differences and racism. That’s why this film is important to me. It’s not a film about African Americans, it’s a film about the state of the world today”. 

The experience of racism resurfaces powerfully in “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found”, the director’s latest effort. The feature, awarded best documentary at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, retraces steps taken by the passionate South African photographer, who passed away in 1990 at just 49 years old. The extraordinary discovery of an archive secretly stored in a Swedish bank leads to the retrieval of a visual oeuvre in which history, aesthetics and politics intertwine. 

Cole’s photographs during his South African phase capture the perversity of apartheid in actions and symbols, postures and gazes. After fleeing the country’s prison-like conditions, he set out in search of freedom, first in the U.S. then in Sweden, only to find other forms of segregation, leading him to a dead end. His images, both dramatic and affectionate, rebellious and lucid, unfold with intensity to the sound of LaKeith Stanfield’s voice in a first-person narration. 

By giving the Humanity Award to Raoul Peck, the 48th Mostra honours an artist and a body of work that fight against overt and covert racism, engaged in the struggle with keen eyes for both indignation and beauty.

Rogério Sganzerla | Abismu

The screening of the new copy of “Abismu” (1977) by Rogério Sganzerla (1946-2004) at the 48th Mostra offers a valuable opportunity to discover or revisit this unique film in Brazilian cinema, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the filmmaker’s passing. 

The feature is part of Sganzerla’s creative evolution. After returning from exile in the early 1970s, he directed the obscure “Fora do Baralho” (1971), a documentary with a prophetic title. Five years later, he released “Viagem e Descrição do Rio Guanabara por Ocasião da França Antártica” (1976), a short film that anticipated the reinvention that would take place in Brazil. 

Although filmed in 1977, “Abismu” gained recognition in the following decade, when Sganzerla succeeded in regaining visibility through a series of reinterpretations of Brazil. 

The shattered language, the signs projected onto the screen, and the references that intertwine occultism, the archaeology of Brazilian popular culture, and Hollywood genre cinema —all seasoned with dissonant drum solos and sound-image fragments of Jimi Hendrix— tend to alienate those who only consume what has already been pre-digested. 

This is true experimental cinema because it ultimately offers an experience. 

Norma Bengell, a big cigar perched between her lips, cruises the hills of Rio de Janeiro in a Cadillac. The walls of a hot-sheet hotel, adorned in Egyptian-kitsch style, reveal that archaeology is merely a form of appropriation. On the road to Atlantis, the fabled lost continent, Sganzerla sees studio Atlântida and its chanchadas (musical comedies), that is, Brazilian cinema that feels authentically Brazilian. 

José Mojica Marins, along with Wilson Grey and Zé Bonitinho appear as spectral figures, embodying circus-theatre performers who deliver catchphrases amid deliberately raw and unrefined imagery. This approach highlights the abrasive aesthetic characteristic of marginal cinema. 

“Abismu” is a political film in nature, more explicitly in its form than in its content. It says a big NO to the notion of forming alliances through the suppression of differences, presenting itself as anti-cinema, refusing to reconcile with both the audience and the regime, standing in stark contrast to the prevailing cinematic practices of the time.

Centenary | Marcello Mastroianni

Whenever Italian cinema is mentioned, it’s impossible not to think of legendary names like De Sica, Visconti, Monicelli, Fellini, Bolognini, Pietrangeli, Antonioni, Petri, Germi, Ferreri, Scola, or Bellocchio, among so many great filmmakers. However, one name stands out even more for having worked not with just one or two of these masters, but with all of them: Marcello Mastroianni. 

In 2024, we celebrate 100 years since the birth of the iconic actor, who left the stage in 1996 to step into eternity. The 48th Mostra honours this centenary with a selection of films that demonstrate how Mastroianni, whether in Italy, Europe, or the Americas, became the actor every director aspired to work with. 

The selection begins with the affectionate “Marcello Mio” (2024). In this film, Chiara Mastroianni, the actor’s daughter with actress Catherine Deneuve, embraces her father’s genes by adopting elements of his persona. She dons costumes from Mastroianni’s iconic roles in “La Dolce Vita” (1960) and “8 1⁄2” (1963) and starts calling herself Marcello, acting alongside Deneuve, Fabrice Luchini, and Nicole Garcia. In this mirror game where everyone reflects both themselves and their image, director Christophe Honoré and Chiara Mastroianni pay tribute not only to her late father, but to the art of acting itself. 
However, at the beginning of his career in the early 1950s, Marcello was somewhat held captive by his own good looks. He was frequently cast in smaller roles as the likeable traffic cop, taxi driver, farmer —the man of the people, the good guy. 

It wasn’t until later that Mastroianni broke free from these constraints, largely through his collaboration with Luchino Visconti, who played a pivotal role in honing Mastroianni’s craft during his time in the theatre in the late 1940s. This evolution carried over into film, where his portrayal of the withdrawn Mario in “White Nights” (1957) defined the type of introspective acting that would establish him as the quintessential embodiment of the disillusioned modern man. Often portraying characters grappling with crisis, instability, and impotence, Mastroianni’s performances were marked by an introspective depth, amplifying the shadowy complexities and ambiguities within them. 

The comic side of Mastroianni’s talent, often marked by grotesque humour, became a favoured tool for directors seeking to explore the tension between essence and appearance. One little-known example, highlighted in this retrospective, is the absurdist comedy “A Slightly Pregnant Man” (1973). Directed by Jacques Demy, the film features Mastroianni in the role of a man who finds himself with child, exploring the reversal of traditional gender roles. 

Another style of comedy in which Mastroianni seems to feel at home is that of lunatics, portraying characters caught between reality and imagination. The 48th Mostra showcases this aspect of his talent through his late collaboration with Chilean director Raúl Ruiz in “Three Lives and Only One Death” (1996), one of the actor’s final performances. 

Mastroianni’s prestige and versatility not only eased his transitions between Italian and French cinema but also extended his influence across Europe, long before the euro unified its currency. Three films, in particular, reflect the breadth of his reach, as well as his frequent appearances in auteur cinema. 

In 1986, Mastroianni embraced the contemplative style of Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos in “The Beekeeper”. The solitary figure he portrays, drifting through life in the company of bees, reflects the introspective, pain-stricken men the actor often embodied in the modern cinema of the 1960s —an aesthetic tradition that Angelopoulos continued to nurture in the following decades. 

Soon after, in 1987, Mastroianni travelled to Russia to work with director Nikita Mikhalkov. His nostalgic, Chekhovian character in “Dark Eyes” rekindles Mastroianni’s passion for Platonov, the protagonist of one of Chekhov’s early plays. 

The progression of ageing characters portrayed by Mastroianni culminates in “Voyage to the Beginning of the World” (1997), the final film in his illustrious career. In this work, he plays a film director named Manoel, under the guidance of the renowned Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira. This self-referential role once again draws attention to the diverse personas Mastroianni embodied throughout his career. 

What is the secret behind Mastroianni’s enduring legacy? 

In a brief text from 1982, critic Barthelémy Amengual pondered: “In reconciling with the world instead of conquering it; in organizing life without dominating it; in bending one’s back to the blows of time while forgetting both exile and royalty, what better ally could there be than this transparent, peaceful, modest, fraternal, and seemingly happy man?”

Retrospective | Michel Khleifi

“Television is made to forget, but cinema is made to remember.” This statement from Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi, who transitioned to film after starting in television, encapsulates his artistic vision. His body of work, which extends beyond cinema, is celebrated with a retrospective at the 48th Mostra. 

Khleifi was born in Nazareth in 1950, into a Palestinian Christian family. Two years earlier, the First Arab–Israeli War had resulted in the occupation of this Palestinian territory by Israel. One consequence of this was the creation of the legal classification “present absentees”. This term refers to Palestinians who were displaced during the war, but remained within the newly established state of Israel. Despite their physical presence, they were legally considered “absent”, leading to the confiscation of their land and property. 

Born and raised under these conditions of exile, Michel Khleifi reached the age of 20 with no work prospects. Like thousands of others, he decided to leave for Europe. With some experience in car servicing, he initially planned to work at Volkswagen in Germany. However, after stopping at a cousin’s house in Belgium along the way, he ended up staying in the country. 

His career in the audiovisual sector took shape when Khleifi was accepted into the prestigious National Higher Institute of Performing Arts and Broadcasting Techniques (INSAS), where he studied theatre directing, film and radio. After graduating, Khleifi began working as a screenwriter, producer, and documentarian for Belgian television in the late 1970s. 

His involvement in audiovisual productions led him back to his roots, at a time when the concept of “Palestinian cinema” was largely confined to propaganda films commissioned by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 

Television images, now mirrored in videos on social media, focus on facts and immediacy. In contrast, cinema operates within a different temporality; its images do not merely rely on the instantaneous but rather endure it, promoting reflection. This distinction lies at the heart of “Fertile Memory” (1981), Khleifi’s film debut, which was showcased at the 5th Mostra. 

Two female characters, each with distinct life experiences and perceptions of values, form the core of this narrative of rediscovery. The dispossession of both past and future takes shape as a phantom identity —one that is banished yet omnipresent. 

Next, Khleifi ventures fully into fiction, though it’s thoroughly steeped in reality. The monumental “Wedding in Galilee” (1987), presented at the 11th Mostra, portrays the constant tension between Palestinians and Israelis during an allegorical wedding celebration. Through the contrasts of union and separation, seduction and aggression, acceptance and banishment, Khleifi’s film argues that coexistence is the only possible path forward. 

Four decades later, amid a war of annihilation, discovering or revisiting this bittersweet fable feels more pressing than ever. 

With “The Tale of the Three Lost Jewels” (1995), the retrospective comes full circle. Khleifi’s first film set in Gaza follows the story of a boy on a quest to find treasures in order to win his beloved’s heart. By juxtaposing past and present, the impossible and the possible, the director once again chooses to unite opposites rather than separate them. 

Filming the stories of Palestinians in Palestine is not merely an act of resisting the erasure of a people and their territory. It is also about using cinema to reveal what other forms of media may obscure, showing us what they fail to make visible.