DOBRA - Int'l Experimental Film Festival is celebrating its 9th consecutive edition in 2023, showcasing the creative power of moving images as they explore new horizons for the emergence of a new world. From September 27th to 30th, DOBRA will present a panorama of international experimental cinema at Cinemateca do MAM in Rio de Janeiro, with a special focus on Latin American art. From October 3rd to 8th, the Festival will make its debut in São Paulo, offering a selection of its program at Centro Cultural São Paulo. All activities at DOBRA are free of charge.
In Rio de Janeiro, this year's Festival will center around the Latin American Experimental Cinema Meeting, scheduled to occur at Cinemateca do MAM from September 27th to the 30th. The event will unite filmmakers, researchers, curators, and representatives from five countries in a series of screenings, debates, lectures, and performances, creating a privileged space for dialogue.
Among other artists, researchers and curators who will also participate in DOBRA 2023, it is important to mention the presence of notable figures at this meeting, such as: Ángela López Ruiz, curator and researcher, with collaborations for the Fundación de Arte Contemporáneo (Uruguay), Museo de Barrio (USA), among others; Mónica Delgado, film critic and professor, director of Desistfilm magazine (desistfilm.com) and audiovisual director of the Cultural Center of the University of Sciences and Humanities of Lima, Peru; Pablo Mazzolo, Argentine filmmaker whose works have been shown at festivals such as Rotterdam, New York Film, Ann Arbor, Edinburgh, Videoex, Mostra (S8), L'Age D'or, Crossroads, among others; and Sebastian Wiedemann, filmmaker and professor, who works as director of the magazine Hambre - espacio cine experimental (hambrecine.com). Each of these guests will curate a film program and participate in debates and discussions. In total, there will be four thought-provoking invited programs that will strengthen the connections between the Brazilian audiovisual community and the Latin American scene.
In addition to the invited programs, IX DOBRA will showcase 3 film programs and 3 sets of installations, composed of works selected by the Festival's curators, Cristiana Miranda and Lucas Murari, from submissions made during the open call in the first half of the year. In the "Olhares do Brasil Contemporâneo (Views of Contemporary Brazil)" program, we will present works by highly esteemed figures in the Brazilian contemporary art scene: "Aqui onde tudo acaba" by Juce Filho and Cláudia Cárdenas, "Olho da Rua" by Jonathas de Andrade, and "O Avesso do Céu" by Mauricio Dias and Walter Riedweg. The program "Dramaturgias de corpos dançantes (Dramaturgies of Dancing Bodies)" assembles a collection of films that traverse paths from Brazil to Ukraine, passing through Canada, France, and Germany. These films are united by the shared experience of a period in which the artist's body grapples with solitude and war, reflecting the uncomfortable memories of a century that begins to foreshadow the end of an era.
Additionally, we will be presenting "RAGTAG," the debut feature film by Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Boccassini, who works with archives. This film takes the audience on a meandering journey through the realm of classic cinema noir, crafting a chronological collage of intriguing moments from films within this genre.
Also from the Open Call, DOBRA's curators, Cristiana Miranda and Lucas Murari, have selected works that push the boundaries of traditional cinema. These works have been grouped into three categories to foster a dialogue among them and will be showcased in an installation format, playing in a continuous loop. These three installations will be on display exclusively at the galleries of Cinemateca do MAM in Rio de Janeiro from September 27th to 30th, between 5 pm and 10 pm.
One of DOBRA's traditions is to include audiovisual performances in its program, as a means of exploring the numerous experimental avenues opened up by both analog and digital technologies for expanded cinema. In this regard, DOBRA will host two performances at Cinemateca do MAM in Rio de Janeiro. These performances will offer the audience an immersive experimental experience, constructing visual metaphors and transforming circles, squares, and triangles through the ethereal qualities of light-based colors.
On September 28th, "Geometrias Sagradas (Sacred Geometries)" will be showcased, featuring a performance with 35mm and 16mm film projections accompanied by live music. The visuals for this performance were created by Cristiana Miranda and Moira Lacowicz, while the sound was crafted by Igorland and Veronica Cerrotta. Then, on September 29th, it will be the turn of "Estado de Pausa (State of Pause)," a 16mm performance created by Uruguayan visual artist Guillermo Zabaleta.
In São Paulo, DOBRA will be presenting an itinerary of its program for the very first time. From October 3rd to 8th, at Centro Cultural São Paulo, all 7 film programs will be featured. Alongside the film screenings, the São Paulo leg of the festival will include two lectures: the first, titled "Ecologias do Cinema (Ecologies of Cinema)," will be delivered by Lucas Murari on October 6th, and the second, titled "Investigating the Movement: Scratching the Image and Creating Cinema," will be presented by Cristiana Miranda on October 7th. Additionally, DOBRA will offer a workshop called "Investigating the Movement," with 10 available slots that must be reserved in advance.
The full program of IX DOBRA can be accessed on the festival's website: https://festivaldobra.com.br.
The 9th edition of the DOBRA is being co-produced by Firula Filmes; has the support of RioFilme, through the Secretaria de Cultura da Prefeitura do Rio (Rio City Hall's Secretary of Culture), and also of Centro Cultural São Paulo; and has the institutional support of the Cinemateca do MAM-RJ.