Born in 1945, Brazilian director Sergio Bianchi both recalls and advances the tradition of political filmmaking in Latin America. Bianchi is the clearest contemporary descendant of the Brazilian film movement known as Cinema Nôvo, or "new cinema." Cinema Nôvo sought to introduce a modernist film aesthetic influenced by neorealism and the French New Wave into Brazilian cinema; more importantly, it hoped to make the cinema a part of a national dialogue about Brazil's development and future.
Like the filmmakers of Cinema Nôvo, Bianchi focuses on social groups deemed "marginal" because of race, class, or region; to these categories, Bianchi adds people marginalized because of their sexuality. His narratives mix documentary and fiction, reportage and storytelling. His characters are often grotesque, their situations exaggerated, yet he challenges his viewers to gauge exactly how dissimilar the world he creates on screen is from the one they inhabit.
Instead of sending a message-the aim, in many cases, of an earlier generation of political filmmakers-Bianchi seeks to engage his audience in a dialogue. With their potent mix of aggression, exasperation, humor, and irony, the films of Sergio Bianchi provide a powerful and important model for a fresh approach to political filmmaking.
- Program notes adapted from Film Society of Lincoln Center publications.
