TIME OF FEAR
Sérgio Rezende/Drama/119 min/ Portuguese with English subtitles

The widow piano teacher Lúcia and her unemployed teenage son Rafa move to a poor neighborhood in the periphery of São Paulo after the bankrupting of her pension plan. Rafa tells his mother that he is going to the cinema with his friend Beto, but they go to a street racing in a stolen car. While seeking the documents, they find a revolver in the glove compartment. When Rafa hits the car of a black man in a maneuver, he shoots Beto on the chest. Rafa takes the gun and accidentally kills a girl. He is sent to prison and during one visit, Lúcia meets the influent lawyer Ruiva and they befriend each other. Ruiva, who is one of the head of the criminal organization “Party”, offers money to the needy Lúcia to help her in minor wrongdoings, such as bringing illegal stuff to the inmates. Meanwhile the leaders of the powerful criminal organization have inner fights; when they are sent to a maximum security prison, they order rebellions in the prisons and havoc on the streets on the Mother’s Day. Lúcia gets a remission to Rafa for this day, but the teenager has obligations with the Party.

UM PASSAPORTE HÚNGARO/ AN HUNGARIAN PASSPORT
Sandra Kogut/Documentary/72 min/French, English, Portuguese, Hungarian with English subtitles
Speaking on the telephone with the Hungarian Consulate, the filmmaker asks: “Does someone whose grandfather is Hungarian have the right to obtain a Hungarian passport?” The question apparently sounds strange. “Yes – It’s possible… But, why do you want a Hungarian passport?” The filmmaker asks for the list of necessary documents, but the officer woman still doesn’t understand why she wants to become Hungarian. The idea got stuck in her: she is going to apply for the Hungarian citizenship. The administrative process to become a Hungarian citizen and passport-holter is the guiding line of the film. And the filmmaker faces essential questions: what is nationality? What’s the use of a passport? What is our heritage? How do we construct our own history and identity

DE BRACOS ABERTOS/ARMS WIDE OPEN
Bel Noronha/Documentary/52min/Portuguese with English subtitles

The huge Christ the Redeemer statue, overlooking the Sugar Loaf and Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro became an iconic image of the city. It took architect Heitor da Silva Couto ten years to plan and build the 38 meters tall statue. The French artist Paul Landowski made the hands and face. Today, Christ the Redeemer is part of Rio de Janeiro’s  daily life and much loved by its inhabitants. 2011 marks the 80th anniversary of the monument and through Bel Noronha’s documentary we learn the history behind one of  world’s most known landmarks including less known facts, for instance that the cement that was used to build the statue came all the way from Sweden.

MUTUM
Sandra Kogut/Fiction/95min/Portuguese with English subtitles
Mutum means world. Mutum is a black bird that sings at night. Mutum is also the name of a far away place in Minas Gerais where Thiago lives with his familiy. Thiago is a 10-year old boy who is different from other boys at his age. Through Thiagos eyes we see the adult world, with its violence, falsity and sicences. Together with Felipe, Thiagos brother and only friend, he discovers this world at the same time that  he needs to leave it.

ROSA MORENA
Carlos Oliveira/Fiction/95min/Portuguese, Danish, English with English subtitles
Thomas is a successful architect in his forties who is homosexual and wants to father a child. In his home-country, Denmark, it is not possible for him to adopt a child and so he decides to come to Brazil and try his luck. In São Paulo he finds out about many ways, not all of them legal, of  realize his dream to become a father. Thomas old friend, Jacob, introduces him to Maria, a poor youg pregnant woman who is willing to negotiate.

DOCE BRASIL HOLANDES/ SWEET DUTCH BRAZIL
Monica Schmiedt/Documentary/52min/Portuguese and German with English subtitles
The Dutch invaded Brazil in the 15th century with the intention of colonizing the country. However, the ocupation lasted only 24 years, seven of which under the rule of Maurice van Nassau. He founded Maristsstadt, today Recife. Some people in Recife still think that Maurice van Nassau was the best mayor the city has ever had. How come? This is the question that Monica Schmiedt tries to answer in the movie Sweet Dutch Brazil. She follows two historians who research about the so-called “Nassaunostalgia”, Karina Vanderlei from Brazil and Sabrina Van der Ley from Germany.

REFLEXÕES DE UM LIQUIDIFICADOR
André Klotzel/Comedy/80min/Portuguese with English subtitles

In this black comedy we meet Elvira,  a friendly housewife who hears a weird voice from the kitchen. It is the blender that starts talking to her. One day, Onofre, Elvira’s husband, disappears suddenly disappears.

O HOMEM QUE ENGARRAFAVA NUVENS
Lirio Ferreira/Documentary/100min/Portuguese with English subtitles.
This documentary tells the story of  musician Humberto Teixeira who wrote the second most popular song  in Brazil, Asa Branca. Humberto Teixeira had a meteoric breaktrhough as musician in the 50s but was soon overshadowed by his music-partner Luiz Gonzaga. Toward the end of the 50s, Bossa Nova became popular and Baião, musical style created by Teixieira, fell into oblivion. His music was also used in protests against the militar dictatorship during the 60s and 70s.