A documentary about entertainer Carmen Miranda and another about the indigenous peoples of the Amazon are among the offerings in the series "Brazil: Images and Identities" being sponsored by the Council on Latin American Studies and the department of Spanish and Portuguese.
The festival features films both from and about Brazil. "We aim to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about Brazil through this series," says Seth Garfield, director of undergraduate studies for the Council on Latin American Studies. "These films demonstrate the historical complexity, the diversity of race, ethnicity, regionalism, and politics in Brazil." Mr. Garfield and Lidia Santos, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese, organized the series.
All films will be shown at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in Rm. 211 of Mason Lab, 9 Hillhouse Ave. They are free and open to the public. Each film will be introduced by a guest scholar.
The series opens on Feb. 25 with "Gaijin," a 1979 film directed by Tizuka Yamasaki, which chronicles the Japanese emigration to Brazil at the turn of the century. It tells the story of one young woman who came to seek her fortune on the coffee plantations of the New World, only to find an exploitative society controlled by a wealthy few. The film, which is in Portuguese and Japanese with English subtitles, will be introduced by Naomi Hoki Moniz of Georgetown University and Haquira Osakabe of the Institution of Language Studies, UNICAMP, Brazil.
Other films in the series are:
March 4 -- "It's All True," a 1993 documentary featuring footage of Brazilian fishermen and the celebration of Carnival that was shot by director Orson Welles during a visit to the country in the 1940s. The film will be introduced by Yale anthropologist Linda- Anne Rebhun.
April 1 -- "Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business," a 1995 documentary by Helena Solberg about the life and lasting influence of the Brazilian entertainer. The director herself will speak at the screening.
April 8 -- "Bye Bye Brazil," a 1980 film by Carlos Diegues about a small-time theatrical troupe traveling on the back roads of Brazil. The film, which is in Portuguese with English subtitles, will be introduced by Professor Santos.
April 15 -- "Amazon Journal" 1996, documentary filmmaker Geoffrey O'Connor's first-hand account of his experience filming turbulent political events in the Amazon. The work reveals the effect of the view of Indians as "primitives" on the indigenous rights movement. Mr. Garfield will introduce the film.