Film Screening -- The North Carolina premiere of:

Estamira
(Marcos Prado, 2004, 127 min, Brazil, Portuguese w/ English Subtitles, DVD)

-- Introduced by Aaron J. Lorenz, PhD, Post-Doctoral Associate of Luso-Brazilian Studies.  Q&A to follow!

In Marcos Prado’s first beautifully shot documentary, he reveals the daily life of a 60 year old woman who has survived for twenty years scavenging in Rio de Janeiro’s Jardim Gramacho garbage dump. Alternating between extreme lucidity, prophecy, and schizophrenia, Doña Estamira forces the viewer to rethink modernity and progress from the perspective of waste.  A profound allegory of contemporary society, the documentary explores race, gender, and class discrimination from Estamira’s stubborn, independent, and critical perspective. 

-- Winner of the Sutherland Trophy at the 2005 British Film Institute Awards, the Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography at the 2005 Miami Film Festival, the International for Best Documentary at the 2004 São Paolo International Film Festival, and recipient of the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2005 Viennale!

Related lecture:

“Reconsidering Garbage: Recycling, Memory, and Waste in Marcos Prado’s Estamira”

A lecture by Aaron Lorenz, Post-Doctoral Associate of Luso-Brazilian Studies

Tuesday, March 29th, 12:00–1:00pm
Rm. 201 Flowers Building

Cost: Free and Open to the Public!

Sponsors: The Department of Romance Studies, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the Program in the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI)