Carlos Minuano – 100canais
Original story at: http://www.teia2007.com.br/noticias/6617877
The inland of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, the swing of the capoeira angola* from the State of Bahia, the indian medicine. Those are all different Brazilian cultural nuances, registered in film by different Pontos de Cultura (Culture Locations) all over the country, and will be represented by 29 productions shown at Mostra Arte Viva, from November 7th to November 11th, at TEIA** 2007.
It will be possible, for example, to dive into the stories about the planet’s biggest forest, with the “Navegar Amazônia” troupe. This 1996 project, conceived by filmmaker Jorge Bodanzky and José Roberto Lacerda, searches to rescue and strengthen the Amazon riverside communities culture, through digital inclusion, photography, film editing, filmmaking and music workshops.
The “Navegar Amazônia – Uma viagem com Jorge Mautner”( Navegar Amazônia – A Journey with Jorge Mautner), documentary, directed by Jorge Bodanzky and Evaldo Mocarzel, will be shown at the Mostra. The documentary registers one of the several journeys the group has made into the forest heart, on board of a typical Amazon wooden boat, equipped with a six computer lab, which includes a laptop, digital and video cameras.
Technology, environmental preservation and music
On March 2003, for about twenty days, the expedition navigated through Amazon promoting workshops and strange musical gatherings, says Otizete Alencar, the project’s technical assessor. The boat left the Jandiá Canal, at Macapá city, to Belém. The musicians Jorge Mautner, Nelson Jacobina and Zé Miguel were included in Navegar Amazônia’s team. “We performed a show that even included indian rituals of shamanism”, says Otizete.
Their headquarters are at Macapá city, and the team is currently waiting for the resource liberation for their next expedition, which, according to Otizete, should occur later this year. The Navegantes da Floresta (Navigators of the Forest) project was selected as a Ponto de Cultura (Culture Location). The project also counts with the support of the Cidade do Conhecimento (City of Knowledge) at USP (University ofSão Paulo), and studys forms to make feasible the income for the Amazon communities and environmental preservation programs.
The indian Cinema
The time when indians were filmed and had their culture portrayed by non-indians, foreigners and all kinds of researchers has passed. Nowadays, having new technologies, and with a camera in hand and a cockade on their heads, they can show for themselves their own culture. Documentary director Mari Correa, who is also the “Video nas Aldeias” (Video at the Villages) project coordinator, follows this process very closely.
This NGO is settled at Olinda city at the State of Pernambuco and it is an example of the autonomy the indians have conquered through the audiovisual experiences. The project has been around for twenty years and relies on a documentary school, a producer and distributor for the films made. “We donate equipment and follow the work development until they can continue on their own”, says the director.
Among the indian productions selected for the Mostra Arte Viva are the features “Huni Meka, os cantos do cipó” (Huni Meka, the songs of the liane – 25 min., 2006, Tadeu Siã and Josias Maná Kaxinawá) about the healing rituals that utilize the Amazon indian ayahuasca drink, and “Xinã Bena, novos tempos” (Xinã Bena, a new time – 52 min., 2006, Zezinho Yube), which narrates the daily events of the hunikui village, at São Joaquim, near the Jordão river at the State of Acre.
The productions participating at the Mostra are: “5×1 transformando com ginga”, by Ponto de Cultura Acervo Audiovisual da Capoeira Angola (BA), “As 100 Horas de Angicos”, by Fotografia e Identidade (RN), “Com outros olhos”, by Cultura Maria Mulher (RS), “Curta digital PB: novos autores chegam à comunidade”, by Urbe Audiovisual, “Dez Passos para o Abismo”, by Programa de Inclusão Audiovisual e Digital na Oficina do Parque (RJ), “Filmes do Arraial”, by São José das Culturas (RJ), “Gabi e Edu”, by Núcleo de Cultura e Educação dos Povos do Mar (SP), “Lambe-Sujo e Caboclinhos”, by Figuras em Trânsito (SE), “Luz de sonhos”, by Cinema e Vídeo na Educação (AM), “Mundo & imagem”, by Malha Cultural e Cidadania (PR) and the animation “Albertinho” , by Animazul (ES), among others.
*Translator’s Note: Capoeira is a cultural expression that mixes fighting, dancing, popular culture abd music. It was developed by African slaves brought to Brazil and their descendents. It is characterized by agile and complex movements, utilizing hands, feet and acrobatic and gymnastics movements. The Capoeira Angola is a variation of the traditional capoeira, and it is originated from Angola.




