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Blues
Oficial
Site: http://www.baixosantadoaltogloria.com.br/miguel
The Film
The Festivals
Creative
Keys
The Talent
The Locations
Production
+Interview
with Miguel Silveira and Andrew Eick to Columbia
The
Film
+watch
the trailer
This
film is dedicated to the memory of The Sculptor Jorge
Rodrigues and to my very alive mentor Alexander Crawford.
SYNOPSIS
Guillermo
Locke
is an American anthropology student traveling to Brazil
for the first time to study its “culture of
violence” for his thesis. Duque is a poor but
respected community leader and master teacher of Capoeira
(ka’ pou ey’ ra), a Brazilian tradition
of martial arts and dance. Namibia is Duque’s
whimsical 12-year-old daughter. The lives of all three
are changed forever as they cross paths amidst the
paradoxical, spiritual, and celebratory backdrop of
Carnival.
TECHNICAL SPECS
SHOOTING
FORMAT: Super 16
SCREEN RATIO: Anamorphic
B&W/COLOR: B&W and Color
LANGUAGE: Portuguese/English (English subtitles)
CATEGORY: Dramatic Short
ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME: 22 minutes
COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION: Brazil/USA
YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2005
THE DIRECTOR’S MOTIVATION
This film is derived from the director’s incursion
on a trip to Asia (Bangladesh and India) where he,
at the age of 20, collected images for a documentary
during a six moths period. While going trough his
footage, he found out that some of the subject’s
expressions of seriousness, anger or sorrow were more
in reaction to his camera and his intrusive presence
than they were to the apparent hardship of their lives.
His “discovery” made him meditate about
the issue of communication between humans, his position
as a filmmaker, and the “cameras of the world,”
that simply take for granted their “right”
to film indiscriminately. Currently living in the
USA, the director, a Brazilian native, began to develop
a story that tries to combine the stylized reality
of varied social layers within different societies.
The film is a fable of confusion, incomprehension
and interaction between human beings from different
nations who lead their lives based on distinct cultural
traditions but never the less they share similar social
values. The idea behind this piece is to try to show
how despite these noble values, which all of the 3
main characters pertain, human beings have a really
hard time understanding each other and therefore can
easily clash through interaction.
The
film is set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during carnival,
- a metaphorical festival by definition - where some
social layers of the population are so evidently separate
from others, regardless of their geographical proximity,
that they see their hometown as if they were foreigners.
The Rio de Janeiro of this film represents what the
director calls “ Magical pragmatism,”
it is a place where the “magic” isn’t
often related to the “unforeseen” but
instead, it depicts the allegorical reality of an
arguably unbelievable everyday life of a couple of
million people who live or visit the city. The magical
and pragmatic city is in itself a microcosm for all
cities, all countries and all conflicts of the post-modern
era and it’s technological fetishes.
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The
Festivals
Olafest
2008
http://www.olafest.org/
Exhibition
at Santa Fe Film Festival 2007
http://www.santafefilmfestival.com/
+Check
alsot the Festivals that selected "Namibia, Brasil"
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Creative
Keys
The
crew for Carnaval Blues is composed of an international
group of young professionals united by the passion
for film making .When the director Miguel Silveira
first resolved to make this movie in Brazil, he decided
that he wanted the movie to have a native tongue,
but a “foreign eye” drawing a direct parallel
to the plot of the film itself. With that in mind,
Miguel invited his Spanish friend and colegeeu, Elias
Lopez-Trabada to codirect the film with him. If that
wasn’t enough, the photography of Carnaval blues
relies on the talent of not one, but two Polish cinematographers,
giving two distinct feels to the day scenes shot by
Grzegorz Krawczyk, versus the night scenes shot by
Kuba Zelazek. When it came to the production design,
however, Miguel wanted to be as faithful as possible
to the real thing, and for that he invited native
Thereza de Medicis to coordinate an all Brazilian
art department As pre production began, Miguel realized
he couldn’t be in two places at the same time,
nor could his producer. Therefore Miguel had to rely
on the cooperation of Chicago based producer Quentin
Kruger and Rio based Leila Barbosa. Together, these
two organized a dialogue between Rio de Janeiro and
Chicago that now involves oover 100 people in the
diverse aspcts of making Carnaval Blues happen. Finally,
we are honored to count on the participation of the
brothers, Rodrigo and Clarice Assad who will be contributing
with an original soundrack for the film.
Miguel Barbosa Silveira,Writer/Director
“Luz”(light),
was the first word ever said by Miguel, the young
and promising filmmaker who at the age of 25 has already
begun to make his mark in the cinema world. Born and
raised in Rio de Janeiro, Miguel has traveled around
the world to countries such as the United States (where
he currently resides), Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba,
Spain, France, India, and Bangladesh. Through out
his life, Miguel sought to expose himself both to
the reality of his country as well as that of the
countries visited, and that exposure has come to influence
much of his work today. During his 6 months in Bangladesh,
Miguel filmed a documentary in which the subtext of
the film dealt with the question of the “documentarian
approach,” topic that has served as one of the
main inspirations for this current production.
Today Miguel lives in Chicago where he studies film
at Columbia College. He has directed a series of short
films, is a festival winner (Chicago International
Latino-Film festival SC) and was one of the 50 students
selected to participate at the 2004 Telluride film
festival symposium, where he had the opportunity to
meet and exchange ideas with some of the most respected
names in today’s film world. According to him,
they “taught him even more about life than cinema”.
Following the line of thought and knowledge outlined
mainly by his experience in Bangladesh, Miguel continues
to deal with the question of human communication.
In this most recent project Miguel explores this topic
within his hometown of Rio de Janeiro.
Elias
Lopez-Trabada, Co-Director
Born in Madrid, Elias Lopez-Trabada Ataz was brought
up in a Catholic school where he acquired much of
his appreciation and culture for the agnostic. Son
of doctors, (an anastheisiest mother and a psychologist
father) with an eccentric artistic taste, Elias became
exposed to a diverse variety of “art forms”.
Consequently this exposure lead Elias to develop a
special taste for poetry, Marylyn Monroe and Marlene
Dietrich, which in turn served as a base for the creation
of his own personal artistic expression, film. Having
graduated from Columbia College Chicago, Elias has
actively participated in innumerous cinematic projects
exercising a variety of different positions. He directed
a dozen short films, was a cinematographer for others,
and produced, wrote, edited and even acted in yet
many others. After having read this script, Elias
fell in love with the project and accepted an invitation
to act as co-director for the film.
Grzegorz
Krawczyk, Director of Photography(Day shots)
Born in Siemiatycze, Poland. As a young teenager he
fell in love with traditional Polish cinema, he began
to dedicate his life to the art. An admirer of the
works of filmmakers such as Roman Polanski, Andrzej
Wajda, Krzysztof Kieslowski and David Lynch, Grzegorz
became cinematographer in the U.S.A, where he is currently
established. Having worked in films such as Batman,
Weatherman, Ice Harvest, Oceans Twelve, Constant Gardner
among others he developed good partnership with cinematographers
such as Phadon Papamichael, ASC, Cesar Charlone, BSC,
and others. He looks for new images that can fullfill
him as an artist and human being. Having Grzegorz
as cinematographer for this production is an honor
and luxury, especially because he is also one of the
idealizers behind the project.
Kuba
Zalazek, Director of Photography(Night shots)
Born
in Warsaw, Poland, 1979. At the early age of nearly
three, Kuba Zelazek was forced to flee his native
country because of Communism. After spending only
7 months in Austria a dramatic event occurred that
would alter his life forever. He was to move to South
Africa. There he spent his childhood years. The experiences
gathered there have stimulated his creative nature.
Eventually, events led him to the U.S. where he attended
Columbia College Chicago.
Film School opened him up to a new way of expression,
because this is where he discovered his love and passion
for cinematography. Throughout college he would shoot
many projects and begin to develop his own personal
style. Soon after graduating, Kuba was offered films
to shoot throughout the U.S., mostly concentrating
on the east coast. His experiences range from feature
films, short narratives, experimental, commercial
work and shooting for T.V. productions such as the
B.B.C. He is the founder and president of Severed
Head Entertainment, LTD. This production company supplies
camera, lights, crew and even editing options for
other filmmakers.
Leila
Barbosa, Writer/Producer(Brazil)
Leila
Barbosa has a degree in History and Pedagogy having
participated in many important private and public
Brazilian educational projects for low-income population
in Brazil since she entered PUC university in Rio
de Janeiro. She has used and developed the Paulo Freire
method for adult education in these projects and has
designed a history program that enables students to
understand and to critically analyze social historical
events. She has written one book called: “The
Incredible History of Man and his Social Relations”
on its 13th edition with Vozes Editors which has been
adopted in many school and university programs in
Brazil and also has been used in the Ecclesiastic
Base Communities which follow the Liberation Theology.
She has also designed programs, workshops and courses
and lead workshops to some of the most important companies
in Brazil such as GM, Shell, The World Bank and IBM.
She has given cross-cultural workshops to top foreign
executives from these companies. She was one of the
creators of the “Tanto Mar” project that
joined the Portuguese speaking countries of the world
in a campaign against AIDS proliferation. She is the
president and one of the founders of the Baixo Santa
do Alto Gloria cultural center whose main goal is
to provide social inclusion and bring historic awareness
to specific communities of downtown Rio de Janeiro
regions of Gloria and Santa Teresa. This center promotes
and sponsors traditional afro-Brazilian cultural as
well as contemporary forms of art with presence of
Hermeto Paschoal, Capoeira groups and Jongo master
Darcy. Leila Barbosa has just managed to have the
IDB – Interamerican Development Bank in Washington
DC provide her project with a grant to develop plans
to restore the architectural heritage of the buildings
thus rescuing the culture and history of that region.
Leila Barbosa has been a constant collaborator in
the preservation of the cultural and architectural
face of Santa Teresa, the neighborhood that has served
to inspire this film.
Andrew
Eick , Producer(USA)
Andrew Eick is a native of Westchester,
Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Having grown up in
the shadows of the Second City, he leapt at the chance
to study film full time at Columbia College Chicago.
He has collaborated with Miguel Silveira on several
films, and with Thereza Zarvos and Grzegorz Krawczyk
as well. He is currently a sophomore at Columbia and
is enthralled to be given the chance to again collaborate
with Miguel on Carnaval Blues.
Quentin
Kruger, Producer(USA)
Quentin Kruger is a Chicago Based film and video producer.
He started off in the industry as a freelance still
photographer and motion camera operator. His first
try at directing landed him an audience choice award
at the Take One film festival in Chicago for a black
comedy about an ersatz director who is incapable of
collaborating. He produced Miguel Silveira’s
first film “Beautiful March” which went
on to win several awards in the Latino/ American community
as well as a trip to the Telluride Film Festival.
Quentin is looking forward to working with Miguel
and the film community in Rio.
Thereza
Zarvos de Medicis, Writer/Production Designer
Thereza
Zarvos de Medicis grew up around the world. Daughter
of Brazilian diplomats, Thereza lived in countries
such as China, Kenya, Italy, Poland, Chile, the United
State and Brazil. Her travels acquired her a natural
taste and sensitivity for landscapes and sceneries.
As a result, today set design has become one of her
biggest passions. Her work is notable, for it is characterized
by an exchange of experiences, knowledge, sensibility
and curiosity acquired throughout her nomadic life.
Currently, after having graduated from the Art Institute
of Chicago with a BFA and a concentration in interior
architecture and professionalized in set design, Thereza
develops her own personal projects as well as projects
for designers such as The Campana Brothers and ARC
Design magazine. Thereza will be able to put in practice
all her knowledge, experience and enthusiasm as the
Production designer for this film.
Rodrigo
Assad, Original Soundrack Composers
One of the youngest members of this talented family,
Rodrigo Assad was born in Rio in 1982. The filmmaker,
singer, guitarist and composer, combines his musical
sensibility with his passion for cinema. His numerous
talents result on the elegant blending of image and
music, gathering a multitude of different artistic
approaches. As a young child, Rodrigo sang in several
children’s choirs that were professionally recorded
by EMI and Som Livre in Brazil. Growing up in a musical
family, Rodrigo taught himself how to play the guitar
and at age of 17 started writing his own songs. His
music is inspired by Brazilian standards, jazz and
the most recent Brazilians artists who have created
a new approach to MPB (Brazilian Popular Music). He
has performed in Brazil, USA and Europe, experimenting
with his own compositions. Rodrigo is currently recording
his first album and plans to release it in the near
future.
Daniele
Pessanha, Production Coordination
Journalist
and publicity agent Danielle Pessanha loves the cinema.
In this area she worked with the script, production,
still photography and photographic assistance on the
movie “Os Cantos da Praça” directed
by Adriana Mansur and Clarissa F. Kezen, worked as
a coordinator on the movie “ExtremAção”
by Ciro Duarte, and helped with the direction and
production of the documentary videos “O Divino”
by Daniela Almeida and “O mal do urubu é
achar que o boi está morto” by Marcelo
Valle, as well as the coordination and production
of the movie “Carnaval Blues” by Miguel
Barbosa, among others. As a still photographer, she
has participated in the exhibitions “O Divino”
at the Paraty House of Culture, “Nu Artístico”
at the Alma Space in downtown Rio de Janeiro, and
the Second Cultural Week in Santa Teresa, at Baixo
Santa do Alto Glória, Glória-RJ. She
also has experience giving photography classes as
part of the project called “Cada Olhar Uma História,
um Click no Cotidiano” at the Museum of Contemporary
Art in Niterói - RJ.
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The Talent
It was important for the director, in order to maintain
the most honest approach in character development,
to use as few “professional” actors as
possible. As a result, members of the Santa Teresa
community, who in themselves have helped to inspire
and drive the plot of the film, play many of the characters.
The film also counts with the collaboration of the
theater company “A Grande Companhia dos Mysterios
e Novidades” who show off the magic of their
costumes, sets and interpretation as one of the most
renowned street performance groups in Brazil.
Namibia
Not only the inspiration for one of the main characters
in the film, Namibia will also be interpreting the
character that was literally written for her. Like
the majority of the other amateur actors, Namibia
was born and raised in Santa Teresa. It was both her
character and talent that drove the director to base
one of his characters on her. Namibia is a treasure
but not an exception. Other talented children of the
Santa Teresa community have also already been cast
in different supporting roles.
Ronnie
Marruda
Igor
Orlando
Igor
came to us at the recommendation of a good friend
who had gotten to know this talented youngster. In
the movie, Igor appears alongside Ronnie, playing
the role of Felipe, faithful friend of the girl, Namíbia,
played by the actress of the same name.
The
filming was long and tiring, but Igor, despite his
young age, impressed the whole crew with his talent
and professionalism. Beyond his fundamental and skilled
acting in the film, Igor’s charisma and dedication
made him one of the dearest members of our team.
A Grande Companinha de Mysterios e Novidades
One
of the most famous street theater companies in Brazil,
the “great company of mysteries and novelties”
brings to the streets of Brazil and the world a spectacle
that marvels the public with its combination of dance,
music, acrobatics and Brazilian tradition. With an
artistic thematic, that blends these elements with
social awareness and world culture and history, the
company has set out to celebrate the people they encounter
and their own cultural values. The company has performed
all over the world. Their most recent trip was to
Forum Barcelona 2004, where they received rave reviews
for their spectacular performances.
CHARACTER
DESCRIPTIONS (IN ORDER OF APPERANCE)
Guillermo
Malenowski Locke (Anthropology student)
Young Caucasian American of Polish decent in his mid
20’s. His features are light and childish.
Extras
travelers and their families
taxi drivers
Promatri(
Taxi driver)
Chubby, balding 45-year-old man. He is lighter skinned
with dark features, and a 2-day shadow.
Angelo
Bertolli(Jack’s Brazilian friend)
Young Brazilian male in his mid 20’s. Well-built,
tanned with dark hair.
Monica(Angelo’s
“girl”)
Carioca female model.
Neto(policeman)
Young Brazilian black male in his mid 20’s.
Well built, and handsome.
Giba(policeman)
50 some year old man who is also well built and well
dressed with a decadent air about him. Police man.
La
Ofelia(strip joint transvestite host)
Fat greasy looking man with a 5 o’clock shadow.
His features are all incredibly masculine regardless
of the fact that he is in drag.
Jennifer
Madonna(prostitute)
Black female in her late 20’s. She is very skinny,
with an unproportionally large belly. Her arms and
legs are covered with bruises and scabs. She wears
heavy make up.
Extras
(12-15)
· The old prostitute
· The playboys (3)
· The greasy old man
· Random male audience members
Duque
(Capoeira teacher)
Young powerfully built black male in his late 20’s.
Attractive.
Beto(bus
driver)
Black male in his late 20’s. He is skinny and
scruffy looking, like he’s just had a long day
at work.
Namibia(whimsical
character)
Young, wide eyed beautiful black girl around 12, years
old. Her hair is braided.
The
neighbors(incredibly varied group refer to desc. of
neighborhood)
Felipe
13 year old white skinny boy with thin straight hair
and big front teeth
Carol
12 year old brunet thin girl with curly hair.
Extras
· Children
· The Ice Cream Man
· Jack Locke
· Trolley Extras
· Trolley Driver
Auntie
Zu (seamstress)
A largely built older black woman with strong features
and a kind and wise face.
Seamstresses
(3)
3 women of varied ages (35-65) and “ethnicity”
Performers
on Stilts
Grande Cia. De Mysterios e Novidades (Refer to insert)
Street
Children
3-6 boys ages 10-14
Gypsy
actress
Grande Cia. De Mysterios e Novidades (Refer to insert)
Extras:
· Tourists
· Capoeira students.
Grande
Cia. De Mysterios e Novidades (Refer to insert)
Extras
· Céu na Terra members
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The Locations
The
neighborhoods of Glória, Santa Teresa, Catete
and Lapa, where the majority of the film is being
filmed, are part of the early history of the city
of Rio de Janeiro. The region formed by these neighborhoods
still contains many important examples of the architecture
that marked Rio’s history, ranging, from colonial
Churches to Brazilian baroque, neoclassical, art neuveaux
and neo-Gothic homes. The culturally unique history
of the region is still evident in todays population,
composed of a mixture of descendants of Africans,
Portuguese, Italians, Swiss, Germans and other groups,
often in a complex mix that is characteristic of Brazil’s
population at large. In the early 1960s Brazil’s
capital was moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília
and many wealthy and influential families had to move
out of Rio to work there. As a result the area, specifically
Glória, started to decline socially and economically:
there were fewer investments and little interest in
the area’s preservation and development. Many
houses and buildings were neglected falling into disrepair.
Currently the area known as Alto Glória (“Upper
Gloria”, because of its location on the lower
reaches of the hillsides rising up to Santa Teresa)
is in large part abandoned. The stately old houses
that once were the neighborhood’s pride were
carved up into small living units as the neighborhood
declined. Many were taken over by drug dealers and
prostitutes. Other social problems proliferated as
all but the poor fled, fearful of living near the
shantytowns that formed higher up the in hillsides.
LOCATION LIST(locations in bold are described in following
pages)
·
Aeroporto Galeao
· Taxi cab interior
. Scenic views of Rio from Airport to Catete
· Hotel 69
Hotel Room
Namibia’s bedroom
Bathroom
Porch
Duque’s Kitchen
Laundry Room
Porch
House stairs
· Angelo’s apt. (Lagoa)
· Interior of Carousel strip joint(existing
location-Lapa)
· Inside Monza
· BSAG
Capoeira Ballroom
In front of and on the street of
· Cassiano Alley
Random Interiors of the houses showing the variety
of neighbors.
· Trolley
Trolley Stop
Trolley Route
Lapa archways
· Saara
Streets
Seamstress shop
· Largo das Neves
· Streets in Santa Teresa
Random Streets
Céu na Terra’s route
Hotel
69
The
hostel was built to host artists and friends of BSAG
from Brazil and around the world!
The “69”, named for its street number,
is built up a steep hillside. The construction dates
from the mid nineteenth century. The original owner,
a Spanish immigrant, used bricks and stones to form
tunnels and sinuous stairways that recall Güel,
the Gaudi Park in Barcelona. The property remained
abandoned for quite some time, and ornamental artwork,
antique window frames, English ironwork and other
items were pilfered. With some of its many houses
still under construction and its typical Santa Teresa
architecture, this location will serve
Lagoa
neighborhood
The Lagoa neighborhood is an upper class neighborhood
in Rio de Janeiro that consists of a series of buildings
that circle a large lake, or rather, Lagoa. People
who live here are entitled to one of the most privileged
views of Rio de Janeiro.
BSAG
Exterior
The
Baixo Santa do Alto Glória(BSAG) Cultural Pharmacy
is a cultural center located in a restored neoclassical
house in the neighborhood of Gloria, in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
The cultural center is part of a group consisting
of a large house and outbuildings, built up a hillside,
that survived demolition and today, reconstituted,
hosts wide range of cultural and educational events.
Capoeira ballroom (interior)
Baixo Santa do Alto Glória is a space open
for culture and leisure. It seeks to preserves our
traditions and receives all types of cultural manifestations
whether in the area of health, cinema, theater, music,
literature, dance, the plastic arts or intellectual
debate. We are a meeting place for the public, artists
and scholars of the diverse disciplines and cultures
of Brazil and the world.
Capoeira
Capoeira
is a martial art integrated with dance, ritual, and
gravity defying acrobatics. While it is fascinating
to watch for the intricacy of the steps, the velocity
of strike and evasion, and the beauty of acrobatics,
Capoeira is also an important repository of tradition,
spirituality, and wisdom. The master passes to the
student not only the dodging defenses, swift attacks,
and wily feints of the game, but also the world of
music, the rituals of respect, and the accumulated
insight of generations of Capoeira masters. More than
a martial art or dance, those who practice it often
consider Capoeira a way of life.
Cassiano
Alley
One
of the most picturesque and typical streets of the
Santa Teresa neighborhood. Many of the “street
scenes” will be shot here. Here reside many
of the characters and actors that have inspired the
film, including Namibia herself.
Trolley/Lapa
archways
The trolley in Santa Teresa is one of the few surviving
examples of the electronic transportation system in
Brazil. Here it is shown crossing the Lapa Arches,
the old aqueduct, part of one of the two only routes
it still takes in Rio. The Santa Teresa community,
as seen in the film, still commonly uses the trolley.
Saara
market
Located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, this is a market
place for everything at a cheaper price. This place
has existed for decades and today it continues to
bustle with shops, stands and enormous crowds of people
that come looking for the best bargain. During Carnival
season this place floods with people searching for
material to adorn their costumes with.
Like any crowded and charismatic place, this is a
great place to advertise, and that is why it is here
that we first encounter our magical theater group
“A Grande Companinha dos Mysterios e Novidades.”
Production
Production
for Carnival blues is already well on its way. Filming
is scheduled to begin on February 8th, 2005, and will
go on until February 18th. The Chicago crew will be
arriving on or before February 3rd. A remaining 2-3
days have been scheduled for pick ups.
For
more information please feel free to get in to contact
or visit our web site at www.baixosantadoaltogloria.com.br/miguel
Miguel
Silveira: migool16@hotmail.com
l tel: 773 2811341
Leila Barbosa: leilanovembro@yahoo.com.br
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