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| A Mao e a Luva – The Story of a Book Trafficker | |||
"A Mao e a Luva is the book that inspired protagonist Ricardo Gomes Ferraz to start a silent revolution in one of the most dangerous Brazilian shantytowns. He collected books over a period of 15 years and encouraged dozens of children and adults to read them. In so doing, he helped keep them away from selling drugs, prostitution and crime. In 2008, he was given an esteemed award by Teleglobo for his services to society. Thanks to the work of Ricardo, the Brazilian Ministry of Culture has, to date, funded 514 small libraries throughout the favelas of Brazil." – DocuWest Film Festival 2011. "A story that seems created by some writer who was particularly inspired by the sweet taste and irresistible story of a bygone era, is that which is told in A Mao e a Luva, a new documentary by Roberto Orazi, a gripping story of human survival. The director returns to the Brazilian favelas of Recife Pina, one of the poorest areas of the city, to show a different face than that to which the public and the film spectator is accustomed. The latter, perhaps for the first time, is faced with a new vision of the favela which the cinema has usually shown through titles that include such as Tropa de Elite or City of God. And this is the main merit of Orazi’s film: put away rapists, murderers and drug traffickers, and make room for the extraordinary human story of Ricardo Gomes Ferraz, known as "KCal", the wonderful story of a thirty-five year old Brazilian who has managed to turn his dream into that of an entire community. Orazi films a compelling biopic that touches the heartstrings, drawing smiles on the lips and moistening eyes. Rich in color, surrounded by enveloping music and verses of poetry, the documentary drags us down narrow alleyways of the favela, between the immense streets of St. Paul, but above all within the four walls of the library founded by KCal." "The film, whose title is nothing but a quote from the novel by Machado de Assis, first finds KCal among the rubbish and follows the main character in the long process of the creation of the library. Fast, immediate, Orazi’s documentary is surprising for its ability to emotionally involve the viewer without ever resorting to an artificial screenplay (the only exception a sequence which shows two girls express positive opinions of Orazi and his work). " "Orazi’s direction and montage represent added value to a work that breathes easily, thanks to a structure that does not seem to know moments of stasis. At first the focus is solely on the protagonist, on his personal life (his relationship with his wife and his son, his family and its origins, adolescence) and the motivations that led him to cultivate a dream, then become a reality. In the second block, the least successful of the two, the eye moves on the library regulars and their relationship with the founder." "A Mao a e Luva is without doubt one of the best documentaries of the season so far, thanks to the power of empathy and the story about how this is transformed into images and sounds. The result is a great lesson in life, but most important and significant lessons about the value of culture in a country and how we should defend it." – Francesco Del Grosso, Cine Clandistino, 18.11.2010. (Translated from Italian) |
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| Brazil/Italy 2011 | |||
Director/Photography: Roberto Orazi With: Riccardo Gomez Ferraz "KCal", Renato Borgetti, Roberto Vallicelli Tauranga Film Society |
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