This year Rio Cine, as in recent years, offered festival attendees and Rio's cinema goers a panorama of some of the best independent films to screen this year in Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Rotterdam and Tokyo. Last year this area of the festival introduced the filmmaking talents of Britain's Danny Boyle to the Brazilian public with a screening of Shallow Grave. It was only fitting therefore, that this year's opening film was the highly awaited Brazilian premiere of the director's Trainspotting with actor Ewan McGregor in attendance.
The films chosen to screen by the festival deliberately include a mix of films like Trainspotting, which already have Brazilian distribution deals in place, and others that have yet to capture the imagination and cheque books of the Brazilian distributors. A number of deals for Latin American rights are expected to be closed as a direct result of screenings in Rio and this year a modest market debuted which should evolve, given the experience and contacts of market co-ordinator, Ruth Albuquerque, into a full regional market for AFMA members by 1997.
Films screening in the international panorama included Michael Rymer's Angel Baby, one of the hits of this year's Rotterdam festival and a major prize winner in its native Australia; Suzanne Ofteringer's Nico Icon; Mark Rapapport's From the Journals of Jean Seberg; Fina Torres' Venezuelan production, Celestial Clockwork; Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's The Celluloid Closet, a look at how Hollywood has dealt with homosexuality; Angela Pope's Hollow Reed; Todd Haynes' Safe; Rosemberg Cariri's Corsico and Dadá, from the Brazilian hosts; Greg Araki's The Doom Generation; and John Schultz's Cannes market hit, Bandwagon.
For the third consecutive year Rio Cine screened a selection from Critics' Week in Cannes, highlighted this year by Jean Pierre Ameris' Les Aveux de L'Innocent and featuring films from the US, Chile, Canada, South Korea, Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand and Mexico as well as France. The festival also honours a nation or region of filmmakers each year. In 1994 Rio Cine successfully focused on Catalan filmmaking and in1995 showcased the work of Mexico's talented filmmakers. This year the spotlight fell on France with a selection of films which premiered in Cannes chosen by Directors' Fortnight's Pierre Henri Deleau.
New for 1996 was a selection of seven international productions from the US, Germany and Australia dealing with gay and lesbian topics. The inclusion reflects the important growth of this market sector in countries like Brazil. Two of the films on show, Doug Witkins No Ordinary Love and Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton's The Sum Of Us, have already closed theatrical distribution for Brazil.
Rio Cine does not overlook the talents of Brazil's own filmmakers and its competitive screenings of Brazilian shorts and video productions were the first to signal the rebirth of the Brazilian film industry. Ironically in its early years the aim of the festival was to be a purely competitive event for Brazilian features. The demise of the local film industry brought that era to a close but with the rejuvenation of the industry a competitive section for Brazilian features may be something for the future - even in 1997 - if the number of productions reach the levels of the 1970s and early 1980s. Brazilian feature film production was not overlooked by Rio Cine, however, and in partnership with the newspaper O Globo, the festival screened eight classics of Brazilian cinema for the general public on a screen constructed on the beach in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
On the television front, as well as being a meeting point for directors, producers, distributors and other industry executives, Rio Cine - by popular request - promoted a joint-venture of INPUT and FIPA in Latin America. This consisted of a selection of the most important programming shown at INPUT 96 held in Guadalajara, Mexico, earlier this year and FIPA 96 which was held in Biarritz, France. This programming - co-ordinated by Iafa Britz - was complimented by a selection of new independent and network productions from Latin American. Going full circle, these programmes are now available for selection for screening at INPUT 97 and FIPA 97.
Besides the by-now traditional competitive sections, video filmmakers also had their space at Rio Cine with a wide ranging selection of works screening and in discussion including a new section, Video Virus which looked at the way video touches our lives. Another area focused on Latin American trends, in fact Latin American trends in all sectors of the audio-visual industry was a key element to all the discussions taking place during the event and a reason why so many of the non Brazilian attendees make their way to Rio.
One of the most important events at this year's Rio Cine was the launch of BALA (Banco Audiovisual Latin Americano), a new Latin American image bank which will based in Rio de Janeiro and is something that has been clearly lacking in the region for filmmakers and programmers who are looking to see what is available.
It is also expected that a much more cohesive plan for the marketing of Brazil as a location for international productions will emerge from a number of meetings which took place during the event between regional Brazilian film commissions, the Federal Government, and experienced international film commissioners lead by Patricia Reed Scott, the film commissioner for the New York Mayor's office of film, theatre and broadcasting, who addressed the group.
Having found its niche, the future looks bright for Rio Cine to consolidate its position in 1997 as one of the few events to have real impact on the region's audio-visual community. This in a region of the world which is becoming of growing importance in the overall international picture as the major Hollywood studios via with the international sales agents to try and consolidate their power and distribution bases in the region. At the same time industry leaders like Blockbuster are moving in to pick up their slice of the video pie; and such influential industry players and giants such as Rupert Murdoch manoeuvre to join forces with the regional giants like Roberto Marinho, to enter the lucrative dth pay-tv market.
It may be Chinese curse to live in 'interesting times' but Latin America is already there and through events like Rio Cine - which takes place from 24-31 July in 1997 - is rising to the challenge.
CHRISTOPHER PICKARD
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