The State of the World

Six filmmakers, six looks over the world. Right on the crossing of this looks a place for reflection, dynamic and radically asking. It’s a place of a challenge for the future. If it’s true that they are six independent movies, each one with a lonely and personal glances, about diverse aspects of little parts of the world, it’s also true that the vision of its completive and of its crossing of looks results another metaphoric look, straighter prospective and universal, which keeps, inside itself, keys for the comprehension of nowadays world. Each of the six movies that form the feature has about 15 minutes. This is it: Luminous People – A group of people travel in a boat long the Mekong River, line between Thailand and Laos. They travel against the wind, to anticipate a good bye. In the middle of the way, the mother throws the mortal remains to the water; Germano – after long years of navigation over the beautiful, but dirty boat, Germano and his crew decide go fish on other waters. Although it’s a little boat, with no power motor, they go ahead high sea. During the dawn, the motor boat breaks up: it means that fate was signalizing the artisanal fishing would be no long. Germano doesn’t fall down, put one more time in the minds of the others that they are in Atlantic, and the sea, it’s in infinite. But, for an ironical of fate, right in the other day the guys are almost dropped by a gigantic petrol ship Russian; One Way – in the garage of a residential condominium, the doorman’s routine is conducted by the narrow of his travels from the high Nepal Mountains to the plateaus of Deccan, India; Brutality Factory – the modern China. In a sun day, in a civil construction land, an industrial land is to be dismantled. Night falls down. The ruins of the old factory are empty and silence. Ghosts come up, it’s possible to hear the voices who tell their histories…; Tarrafal – Tarrafal: place in Santiago Island, Green Handle, where, in 1936, Portugal constructed a penal colony for political prisoners. It’s usually known as "The Camp of Slowly Death"; Tombée de nuit sur Shangaï (Avril 2007) – More than sounds and more than images. No hierarquize. Mona Lisa side by side with a cartoon and, Chopin, with American music from 70s and 80s, it’s a kind of ambiguous pleasure.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul - He was born in Bangkok, Thailand, 1970. He studied Cinema at the Chicago Institute of Art and has, since then, directed films and videos. His first feature, a documentary, Dokfa Nai Meuman (2000), was included in several festivals and was acclaimed by the critics. Tropical Malady earned the young filmmaker the Prize from the Jury at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and also the Prize from the Critics at the 28th Mostra. His movie Syndromes and a Century has been in 30th Mostra. Vicente Ferraz - Born in Rio de Janeiro, in 1965. He studied at the International School for Film and TV in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. He directed several short films and documentaries in Brazil, in Cuba, in Costa Rica, and in Nicaragua. He is also a script writer, photographer, and television director. Soy Cuba – the Siberian Mammoth, is his first feature, awarded the prize for best documentary at the Guadalajara Festival 2005. It has been in 29th Mostra. Ayisha Abraham - She has studied Painting in Indian and in the United States. Between 1998 and 2003, teaching History of Art, Draw, Panting and Art Conceptual in Srishti School of Art Design, Technology, Yelahanka, Bangalore, where since 2003 is an attendant for final arts. She made the experimental movies The Lady with a Hat (1995), Alight at East Station (1997) Amnesia (2001) e Straight 8 (2005), besides have made individuals, collectives and residences expositions. Wang Bing - Born in China, in 1967. He graduated from the Film Academy in Peking. He directed TV series such as Campus Affairs and documentaries such as Common People’s Homestead. In 1999, he made his first feature, Distortion. His movie Tie XI Qu – West of the Tracks has been in 27th Mostra. Pedro Costa - He was born in 1959, in Lisbon. He majored in History from the School of Languages, Editing and Achievement at the Advanced School for Cinema at the Lisbon Conservatory. He has made short-films: É Tudo Invenção Nossa (1984) and Cartas a Julia (1987). His first feature, O Sangue (1989), was shown at the 15th Mostra. He was also part of the 18th Mostra with Casa de Lava (1995) and of the 22nd Mostra with Ossos (1997). In 2000, he has made No Quarto da Vanda, awarded three special mentions at the Locarno Film Festival. He was awarded the France Culture Prize as Foreign Filmmaker of the Year at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. His movie Colossal Youth has been in 30th Mostra. Chantal Akerman - She was born in 1950, has worked in Brussels Film Academy. Her first short-film is Saute Ma Ville, which produced in 1968, got a big success of critic and public in her country. In EUA, Chantal was addicted to underground movie and made several works in this issue. She’s known in Europe as one of the most important experimental directors. Her movie Portrait of a Young Girl from Brussels has been in 19th Mostra.

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA