Minas Gerais will represent Brazil at the 2023 Academy Awards
2 min read
“Marte Um”, directed by Gabriel Martins from Minas Gerais, has been selected to represent Brazil in the Best International Film category (previously Best Foreign Film) at the 2023 Academy Awards. The decision was announced Monday morning (5/9) by the Brazilian Academy of Film and Arts.
“The choice of the film to represent Brazil at the 2023 Academy Awards was an important decision by the jury and democracy. Mars Um is all about affection and hope, as well as the possibility of continuing to dream amidst many political and economic difficulties. Barbara Carrere, chair of the panel, said that This feature sums up the national cinema well, with a narrative and technical quality, being produced today, which represents the diversity in the country.
Watch the trailer:
The movie was recorded in Contagem
Filmed in Contagem, Belo Horizonte metropolitan area, the feature film tells the story of a black boy in the countryside of Minas Gerais, the son of a janitor and cleaning service provider, who dreams of becoming a NASA astronaut. That’s why a young child spends his day watching astronomy lectures and videos on the internet.
Produced by Filmes de Plstico, in association with Channel Brazil, Marte Um premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival (USA), and reached 25 Brazilian cinemas. The film also won four Gramado Awards: Best Film from Popular Jury Composition, Best Screenplay, Special Jury Prize, and Best Music.
The film’s producer, Thiago Macdow Correia, said the director came to him with the idea of ”March Mother” when the country was under the leadership of former President Dilma Rousseff. The film was made with public funding in 2016. It was aimed at black directors and black-themed novels with the aim of bringing minority filmmakers to the screen. We made the feature in October 2018, during the election, which also affected the narrative. We had no idea what would happen next.
In all, 19 judges participated in today’s selection: Andrew Bellins, Barbara Carrere, Cafe Borges, David Frana Mendes, Eduardo Addis, Guilherme Vasa Zinha, Jefferson D., Joe Daniel Tikhomirov, Joe Federici, Jose Giraldo Cotto, Giuliana Sacchi, Marcelo Cerrado, Maria Sia Di Paula, Patricia Pilar, Petra Costa, Renata Almeida, Talise Sayegh, Waldemar Dalinogari Neto and Zilito Viana.
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