Brazil through the cinema (Brasil através do cinema) 3305-BK-U
The course aims to introduce students to diverse representations of Brazil as depicted in Brazilian feature films of recent decades – starting from the 1990s (the Cinema da Retomada period), with references to earlier stages of Brazilian cinema. Based on the films screened during the course and critical texts, discussions will be conducted with student participation on cultural, social, and political phenomena related to different periods in Brazilian history and contemporary society, as well as the ways these phenomena are portrayed in the analyzed films.
The course is designed to develop students’ ability to critically analyze film as a cultural text, including the assessment of cinematic language and artistic means used, as well as situating a film within a broader social, political, and cultural context.
Participants will also become familiar with the main trends and directions in the development of Brazilian cinema over recent decades, as well as its leading creators – directors, screenwriters, and actors.
Students will additionally acquire a basic knowledge of terminology, theory, and methodology from the fields of film studies and cultural studies in Portuguese.
The selection of films from the list below will be discussed with students during the first class:
Carlota Joaquina, Princesa do Brasil (1995, dir. Carla Camurati), O que é isso companheiro? (1997, dir. Bruno Barreto), Central do Brasil (1998, rez. Walter Salles), O Auto da Compadecida (2000, dir. Guel Arraes), Abril Despedaçado (2001, Walter Salles), Cidade de Deus (2002, dir. Fernando Meirelles), Amarelo manga (2002, dir. Cláudio Assis), O Invasor (2002, Beto Brant), Ano em que meus pais saíram de férias (2006, C. Hamburger), Estômago (2007, dir. M. Jorge), Tropa de Elite (2007, dir. José Padilha), Linha de passe (2008, dir. Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas), O Som ao Redor (2012, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho), Que horas ela volta? (2015, dir. Ana Muylaert), Açúcar (2017, R. Pinheiro, S. Oliveira), Bacurau (2019, K. Mendonça Filho, J. Dornelles), A Vida Invisível (2019, dir. Karim Aïnouz).
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
The student knows and understands:
basic concepts and principles of intellectual property and copyright law, as well as the necessity of managing intellectual property resources, with particular emphasis on film materials;
key phenomena in contemporary Brazilian cinema and their connections with historical, social, political, and cultural-artistic contexts;
the main trends and directions in the development of contemporary Brazilian cinema, their links with phenomena from earlier periods of Brazilian filmmaking, and its leading creators;
terminology, theory, and methodology (in Polish and Portuguese) in the fields of film studies and cultural studies, as well as the ability to independently and creatively apply them in the critical analysis of films, artistic techniques, and the developmental trends of Brazilian cinema in recent decades, and in preparing studies on films, including reviews.
(K_W01, K_W02, K_W03, K_W05, S4K_W01, S4K_W03, S4K_W04, S4K_W05)
The student is able to:
independently conduct critical analyses of films and related cultural, social, and political phenomena in Brazil, using specialized terminology and tools appropriate for film and cultural studies, and effectively utilizing critical literature and the perspectives of other authors;
independently expand knowledge and skills in film analysis from film studies and cultural studies perspectives, taking into account the historical, social, political, and cultural context of Brazil;
apply acquired skills to understand and produce oral and written texts using specialized terminology, as well as participate in discussions and communicate in Polish and Portuguese within the scope of the course.
(K_U01, K_U03, K_U06, S4K_U01, S4K_U02, S4K_U03, S4K_U06)
The student is ready to:
collaborate in a group and assume different roles within it; (K_K01, S4K_K01)
address dilemmas related to their future professional activity. (K_K01, S4K_K02)
Assessment criteria
The following elements will be assessed: preparation for classes based on the assigned texts, active participation in discussions, and a written review of one selected film.
Number of allowed unexcused absences: 1 class block (2 × 1.5 hours)
Bibliography
Bentes, Ivana. O espetáculo do Contradiscurso. in: Folha de S. Paulo (suplemento Mais!), 2002.
Bentes, Ivana. Sertões e favelas no cinema brasileiro contemporâneo: estética e cosmética da fome. ALCEU, 8, no.15 , 2007.
Golgman, Flávio. O Brasil Traduzido no Cinema. in: Madeira, Angélica & Veloso, Mariza (orgs.) Descobertas do Brasil. Brasília: UnB, 2001.
Marques, Yannara Negre. O Filme como Reprodução da Realidade. Análise Textual, Temática e Interpretativa Do Livro “O Que É Cinema” de Jean-Claude Bernardet. In: Revista Pesq. Art. O Mosaico, n. 12, Curitiba, 2015.
Nagib, Lúcia. Além da diferença: a mulher no Cinema da Retomada. In: Devires, Belo Horizonte, v. 9, n. 1, 2012.
Oricchio, Luis Zanini. Cinema de Novo. Um balanço crítico da retomada. São Paulo: Estação Liberdade, 2003. [selected fragments]
Penafia, Manuela. Análise de Filmes - conceitos e metodologia(s). In: Atas do VI Congresso SOPCOM, 2009.
Pietrzak, Jarosław. Smutki tropików. Współczesne kino Ameryki Łacińskiej jako kino polityczne. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy Książka i Prasa, 2016. [selected fragments]
Prysthon, Angela; Carrero, Rodrigo. Da periferia industrial à perifeira fashion: Dois momentos do cinema brasileiro e a espetacularização da cultura. ECO-PÓS- v.5, n.2, 2002.
Ramos, Fernão Pessoa. Breve Panorama do Cinema Novo. in: Revista Olhar. n.4., 2000.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: