Locarno announces the included in the Carte Blanche productions IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH CINEMA DO BRASIL, THE CARTE BLANCHE SHOWCASE IS SET TO EXHIBIT SEVEN BRAZILIAN PRODUCTIONS STILL IN THE FINALIZATION PHASE; A BRAZILIAN FEATURE FILM IS SELECTED TO THE OFFICIAL COMPETITION. The Festival del film Locarno, to be held between August 6th and 16th in Switzerland, has just released the list of films selected to the Carte Blanche showcase – a section of the Festival dedicated to films in the post-production phase, dedicated to Brazil in this year’s edition. The event is the result of a partnership between Locarno and Cinema do Brasil, and is supported by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), dedicated to promote, advertise, and trade Brazilian movies abroad. In the Festival, Cinema do Brasil will also support the promotion of “Ventos de Agosto” , by Gabriel Mascaro, through its Sales Agent Award. The film, selected for the Concorso Internazionale running for the Pardo d'oro, is represented internationally by Figa Films, associated to the Program. The projects included in the Carte Blanche to be held between August 9th and 11th include: • Aspirantes (Hopefuls), by Ives Rosenfeld (Crisis Produtivas, RJ); • Beco (Alley), by Camilo Cavalcanti (Aurora Cinema, PE); • Nise da Silveira, by Roberto Berliner (TvZero, RJ); • Oração do Amor Selvagem (Wild Love Prayer), by Chico Faganello (Cineramabc Filmes, Orbital, and Filmesquevoam, SC); • O Touro (The Bull), by Larissa Figueiredo (Tu i Tam Filmes, PR); • Ponto Zero (Point Zero), by José Pedro Goulart (Mínima/Co-production: Okna, RS); • Que horas ela volta? (Where is she?), by Anna Muylaert (Gullane, SP) The seven Brazilian productions still in the finalization phase will be shown to renowned professionals in the cinematographic industry, particularly sales agents and curators of international film festivals. A jury comprised of Vincenzo Bugno, from the Berlinale's World Cinema Fund, curator Eva Morsch Kihn (Cinelatino, Cine en Construcción Toulouse/San Sebastián), and Christian Jeune, programme director of the Cannes International Film Festival, will elect the best project, to be awarded with a prize of CHF 10,000 (approximately USD 11,000) to assist in the final production phases. Since the partnership was announced in October, 2013, Cinema do Brasil has received more than 40 applications to the Carte Blanche. A Brazilian commission comprised of members of Cinema do Brasil, as well as the southern Brazilian producer Sara Silveira (Dezenove Som e Imagens) and Thiago Stivaletti, critic and curator of the São Paulo International Film Festival, has selected 16 productions, out of which 7 got included in the Locarno Festival. “The large number of applications and the diversity of genres and styles from different regions in Brazil reaffirm the maturity of Brazilian productions. “We’ve sought to send films to Locarno that could represent such diversity, and Locarno has decided for these 7 films, which is now excellent opportunity for them. The fact that they are going to be shown still in their finalization phase to important international players greatly increases their chances abroad, both in terms of sales and their exhibition in important film festivals around the world”, celebrates André Sturm, CEO of Cinema do Brasil. The Carte Blanche is a section of the activities dedicated to the film industry in the Festival del film Locarno and is dedicated to showcasing a selection of films from a given region still in their post-production phase. The initiative is sponsored by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and previous editions have been dedicated to Colombia, Mexico, and Chile. In addition to the Carte Blanche and the selection of “Ventos de Agosto” in the official competition, other four films will represent the Brazilian cinema in the Locarno Festival: the short film “O Bom Comportamento” (The Good Behavior), by Eva Randolph; the medium-length film “Poder dos Afetos” (Power of Affections), by Helena Ignez; “Com os Punhos Cerrados”(Clenched Fists), by Pedro Diogenes, Ricardo Pretti, and Luiz Pretti; and the coproduction with Uruguay “Los Enemigos del Dolor”, by Arauco Hernández. Moreover, the Brazilian participation will be further emphasized after actress Alice Braga confirmed her presence in the Concorso internazionale jury presided by Italian director Gianfranco Rosi in the competition. They will be sided by directors Diao Yinan (China) and Thomas Arslan (Germany), and the Danish actress Connie Nielsen. Also, the Pardi di domani section – dedicated to short films – will have the participation of the Brazilian director Helvécio Martins Jr. in its jury. Other activities within the film industry are programmed and include the participation of André Sturm, CEO of Cinema do Brasil, as well as producers, directors, distributors, and professionals from the Brazilian audiovisual industry. Contact us for more information. In São Paulo: Carminha Botelho: [email protected] (+55 11) 2769-3806 ; Ciro Bonilha: [email protected] Follow us on Twitter @agênciafebre and facebook.com/agenciafebre