A Very Personal Celebration

Found footage film poem inspired by the article “Very personal celebration” by Paulo Emílio Salles Gomes (1916-1977). Paulo Emílio was one of the founders of the Brazilian Cinematheque and a major champion for film preservation in Brazil. He lived in Paris, he is the pionneer author of the first and ground-breaking book about Jean Vigo, and he was a colleague of Henri Langlois. In his last text, published posthumously, the author makes a critical assessment of his relations with brazilian cinema, drawing attention to the urgency of film preservation, in the face of countless films lost along time and on the margins of history. The film “A very personal celebration” recycles fragments of brazilian films (1924-1931) from the silent era quoted in Paulo Emílio’s article and excerpts of Jean Vigo’s films (as Vigo was introduced into film history by the brazilian critic). In the soundtrack, brazilian popular songs recollected by the Mission of Folklore Research organized by brazilian poet Mário de Andrade in 1938. This is a commissioned film for the celebration of Paulo Emílio’s centenary. Footage provided by the Brazilian Cinematheque.

Year

2016

Director

Carlos Adriano

Duration

8 min

Country

Brazil