Tatiana Cesso
The legendary Brazilian artist passed away in November last year
Celebrating its 16th anniversary, the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival (LABRFF) will take place October 23rd – October 26th, 2023 at the new The Culver Theater in Culver City, California. The full lineup includes over 40 independent films from Brazil, combining the best of features, documentaries, shorts, kids, and environmental films, tribute screenings, a celebrity-filled red carpet, and more.
This year’s edition will open with the U.S. premiere of Halder Gomes feature film “Red Monet” starring Maria Fernanda Cândido, a coproduction between Brazil and Portugal that tells the story of Johannes Van Almeida (Chico Diaz), an obsolete painter. With his vision deteriorating and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he finds in Florence Lizz (Samantha Müller) – a famous actress in crisis – the inspiration to make his masterpiece. Antoinette Lefèvre (Maria Fernanda Cândido) is an influential art dealer/connoisseur who sniffs out the value of works of art when stories of inspiration become an obsession among painters and models.
LABRFF’s program is composed of 22 feature films and 22 shorts from Brazil. Highlights include films that touch on subjects of self-discovery, forgiveness, and freedom, such as “Our Dream – The Story of Claudinho and Buchecha” by Eduardo Albergaria, “The Matriarch” directed by Lula Oliveira, “Rio of Desire” directed by Sergio Machado from Gullane Filmes, “Aut Virginia” by Fabio Meira.
LABRFF will also showcase a variety of documentaries including “Lupicínio Rodrigues, Confessions of a Suferrer” about Brazilian composer Lupicínio Rodrigues who will be honored, “in memoriam”, during the Opening Night of LABRFF. In 2019, the family, Lupicínio Rodrigues, decided to research their family tree. Featuring previously unseen images, rare interviews, and moving interpretations sung by João Gilberto and Caetano Veloso, the documentary takes a deep dive into Brazilian music as seen through the life of one of the country’s most enigmatic artists.
Closing the festival on October 26th is the U.S. premiere of “My Name is Gal”, directed by Dandara Ferreira and Lô Politi, starring Sophie Charlotte as singer Gal Costa. The legendary Brazilian artist — who passed away in November last year — was one of the founding artists of the Tropicália movement in the late 60s, she became known for her fearless voice, which captivated audiences for five decades. The film portrays the hardships faced by Gal and fellow artists Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Maria Bethania, Jards Macalé, Tom Zé, and Wally Salomão, as they spearheaded a vanguardist cultural movement against the conservative values and violence imposed by Brazil’s military dictatorship.
Tickets are now available to purchase through the festival’s labrff.com
