Free Film Festival registration open

After a three-year break, due to the covid-19 pandemic, the 20th Mostra do Filme Livre (MFL 2023), considered the largest independent cinema in Brazil, returns to the Rio de Janeiro capital in September, involving prizes of R$ 10 thousand in cash for the best films. Entries are open and can be made until May 31 through the show’s website. Until last Monday (24), 820 films had already been registered. The prospect is that the number of registrations exceeds one thousand, said the event’s creator, Guilherme Whitaker. In the Free World session, films made by Brazilians abroad and foreigners shot in Brazil can be submitted. The exhibition has a unique characteristic, Whitaker pointed out. “It’s the only one in Brazil that accepts films of all genres, formats, lengths and eras. That is, any film, made ten, 15 years ago, of any genre, any duration (short, medium or feature film) is welcome. It is normal for festivals to accept films from two years old, at the most, recent films. We do not have this age restriction”, guaranteed the creator. After registration closes, a selection will be made to define the works that will participate in the competitive exhibition. On average, annually, 15% of the submitted films are selected. In all, including guest films and those classified as out of competition, around 200 films will be shown at the festival. Only films from the competitive section will compete for cash prizes for live and online screenings. Characteristics Originality is one of the main characteristics that submitted films must show. “The fact that the film is original is one of the fundamental characteristics for it to draw attention to the point of motivating the curatorship to nominate it for the award”. Whitaker said that it is also important for the film to escape the commonplace, not repeat what is already happening. The candidate film may even have a conventional narrative, but the theme addressed must have some nuance, such as sound, editing, music, interpretation, among other elements, that seek to bring issues to be developed. “While watching these films for the selection, we try to pay attention to that power that it would be to be original, in line with important themes to be brought up”. Whitaker argued that candidate films do not necessarily need to have the best camera or the best equipment. Even improvising, with the help of friends, the filmmaker can express himself visually. “Even without money, without sponsorship, if there is, in our view, a content, a will, a search even with defects, there is no problem. This is provided that the work itself is more impactful and superior to any technical error or lack of a good camera. We believe that we have done a good job in recent years in identifying the material that arrives from all over Brazil. In general, they are more homemade films that manage, even with limited resources, to express themselves audiovisually in a way that breaks expectations”. Support The realization of MFL 2023 is guaranteed thanks to the support of Riofilme, a municipal public company whose mission is to promote the development of the audiovisual industry in Rio. The Banco do Brasil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro (CCBB RJ), the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) and Espaço Cavi are competing to host the exhibition. Guilherme Whitaker informed that he is looking, on the other hand, for partnerships that will make possible the MFL also in São Paulo and Brasília, with a complete or abridged version. The edition will be dedicated to four recently deceased filmmakers: Maurice Capovilla, Nilson Primitivo, Clóvis Molinari and Ely Marques, all of whom participated in several editions of the fair, when they showed their films and participated in debates or presented sessions. The MFL has been organized by WSET Multimídia since its first edition, in 2002, in Rio de Janeiro. The event also took place in other states, in addition to Lima, Peru, in 2014, and Boston, in the United States, in 2018.

Agência Brasil