The Pope’s Toilet

In 1988 Pope John Paul II will visit the city of Melo, in Uruguay. Fifty thousand citizens are estimated to see him. The humble locals believe that if they sell food, beverages, souvenirs and others trifles for all visitors, they will become rich. Except the contrabandist Beto, who decides to build a public toilet in front of his house. The idea costs him many troubles. His wife Carmen has no much patience for that. His teenager daughter Silvia is disappointed because the situation is interfering in her dream to work in broadcasting. Even Beto has to make longer and riskier journeys through the border and also gives up buying a motorcycle. Determined to make his project come true, he will have to sell his beloved bicycle for the most precious good he needs in the moment: a water closet. The feature won the Horizontes Award at the 2007 San Sebastián International Film Festival.

César Charlone - He was born in 1958, in Uruguay. During the 70’s, he studied at the Escola Superior de Cinema São Luiz, in São Paulo, and began his career as assistant to cinematographers Dib Lutfi and Mário Carneiro. He started working in 1975 in documentaries, commercials and features to directors like Roberto Gervitz (Feliz Ano Velho, 1987), Sérgio Rezende (Doida Demais, 1989), and Murilo Salles (How Angels Are Born, 1996). In 1997, he settled permanently in Brazil. He was the cinematographer in City of God (2002), by Fernando Meirelles, and got for his work an Academy Award’s nomination. He joined Spike Lee for a TV-feature named Sucker Free City (2003) and again Meirelles for The Constant Gardener (2005). The Pope’s Toilet is his first feature. Enrique Fernández - He was born in the city of Melo, in Uruguay. He worked as a writer, assistant director and cameraman in shorts and documentaries in Uruguay and Germany, where he lived for many years. In 1997, his screenplay Otario was filmed by Diego Arsuaga and was considered the Best First Work at the 1997 Havana Film Festival. He teaches screenplay at the Uruguay Film School.

He was born in 1958, in Uruguay. He studied at Escola Superior de Cinema São Luiz, in São Paulo, and began his career as an assistant to cinematographers Dib Lutfi and Mário Carneiro. He started working in 1975 in documentaries, commercials and feature films with directors such as Roberto Gervitz (Feliz Ano Velho, 1987), Sérgio Rezende (Doida Demais, 1989), and Murilo Salles (How Angels Are Born, 1996). In 1997, he settled permanently in Brazil. He was the cinematographer in City of God (2002), by Fernando Meirelles, and got an Academy Award nomination for his work. He joined Spike Lee for the TV feature Sucker Free City (2003) and again Meirelles for The Constant Gardener (2005). The Pope’s Toilet (2007), his first feature, was selected at the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival, and presented at the 32nd Mostra. After that, he directed the feature film The Story of Artigas (2011) and the series 3%.

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA