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Sonia Braga will be the main character on the 6th edition of the Orchid Festival
Posted On 22 Nov 2017
Ecuadortimes:
In the Carlos Cueva Tamariz Theater, in Cuenca, the opening of the filmic encounter will take place with the projection of Aquarius, from Mendonça Filho, from Pernambuco. This time there will be 80 films from more than 40 countries.
The 6th edition of the La Orquídea Cuenca Film Festival will officially start on Friday, November 24. The inaugural gala will take place at the Carlos Cueva Tamariz Theater, starting at 8:00 p.m.
For this edition 80 films from more than 40 countries have been included in the official selection. The special guest will be the Brazilian actress Sonia Braga, who managed to consolidate her career not only in Latin America but also internationally, with several nominations to the Golden Globes, Bafta and Emmy awards.
This year, Braga received the Platinum Honor Award for her career. At the opening, the festival will be attended by the actress, as well as the Peruvian actor and producer Christian Meier, who has had a sustained career of more than 30 years.
The inaugural film will be Aquarius, from Mendonça Filho, from Pernambuco, who will be attending the Festival with 33 international awards, and will be screened simultaneously at the Carlos Cueva Theater and Pumapungo.
Aquarius premiered at Cannes in May 2016 and its launch coincided with the inauguration of Michel Temer in the presidency of Brazil.
On the day of its presentation, the director, the cast and the producers of the film were placed on the steps of the Lumière room and exposed political messages: “A coup d’état is happening in Brazil”. “In Brazil there is no longer democracy.” “Dilma, we will fight with you.”
The consequences of these acts were immediate. Temer’s government banned the film for children under 18 and did not nominate it to the Oscar Awards. In the film, Braga plays Clara, a retired journalist who refuses to leave her apartment in front of the beach in Recife, despite pressure from a construction company that wants to replace the building with a luxury real estate complex. “This film opens the debate about what the country is now and what we want for the future,” said the 66-year-old actress, known for her roles in films such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) and Doña Flor and her two husbands. (1976).
Tribute at Pumapugo
On Saturday, November 26, a tribute to Braga will be made through a retrospective, with the screening of two of its most emblematic filmsat 4:30 p.m. at the Pumapungo Theater.
This year, the La Orquídea Cuenca Film Festival has a link with the academy: Universidad de Cuenca, Universidad del Azuay and Universidad Politécnica Salesiana. The Seminar on Journalism and Cinematographic Criticism, and the talk ‘Culture of the spectator and cinematographic appreciation’ have already taken place. Now the acting workshop for the Chamber and the University Cinematic Rally are in execution.
From November 27 to December 1 will be held the seminar workshop ‘The future of cinema and television: new windows and narratives’, with experts in audiovisual production of the INAV Network
The touring film shows have also concluded for the 14 cantons of the Azuay. The outdoor functions in Cuenca will be done in three places: Santo Domingo (November 28), Turi (November 29) and the Juana de Oro staircase, next to the Crespo hotel (November 30).
It has also been decided to resume the Autocinema due to its popularity among the public, on November 25 at the Universidad del Azuay, at 20:00. The children’s functions will be held from November 25 to 30, at the Casa de la Cultura Theater, Carlos Cueva Theater and Pumapungo Theater. On November 29 there will be a marathon of shorts, with six hours of selection of short films, on the terrace of the House of Culture.
One of the special functions will be Safety Last, a classic silent film with the accompaniment of the Cuenca Orchestra. It will be screened on November 29 at the Carlos Cueva Theater at 9:00 p.m. (I)
