Celebrate Long and Short Films at the Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinema

The Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinema is an annual event that runs in the city of Sao Paulo, originating in 1977. The event was created by Leon Cakoff, a well known film critic of the time, who wanted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo’s founding. It wasn’t as easy a task as some might assume though – during this time, Brazil’s government consisted of a military dictatorship that was intent on censoring materials for public consumption.

As a result, Cakoff had plenty of troubles getting his event off the ground. The government insisted upon reviewing all the films before they were shown, which significantly slowed growth and limited the kinds of films that could be presented – a stunting of international creativity. Finally, in 1984, the Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinema went through its last round of censorship – the regime was over, and the 9th edition of the festival could be held in full force!

In its debut year, the Cinema Week Sao Paulo ran 16 long films and 7 shorts, presented from 17 countries over the course of 40 sessions. The public was then asked to vote on which film they enjoyed the most, leaving the judging in the hands of the people. Since that initial year, the format has remained relatively the same, but the scale of the event has more than doubled or even tripled: in 2006, there were 292 long films, 99 short films, and over a thousand sessions held for people to come and watch the movies. An estimated 220,000 people attended the festival – an incredible turnout for an event that started its struggle under government censorship!

The Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinema is typically held at the end of October each year, and is a non-profit event that that is organized by the ABMIC-Brazilian Association Showcase for International Films, with some financial assistance from the International Federation of Film Producers. Staying outside of government intervention, and maintaining its non-profit status, allows the event to remain mostly in the hands of the film producers and the public who vote on the pieces.

The Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinema is a vibrant cultural event that is worth experiencing, since it includes submissions from around the globe – there is no shortage of film styles, languages, and ages of people who attend the event, and since it is a festival where the power remains in the hands of the people, there is a great sense of community and a widespread welcoming spirit for the duration of the event!

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