Its cinema time!

Rio de Janeiro will become the capital of movies for two weeks, starting next september 21st. The International Film Festival, a.k.a. Festival do Rio will bring nearly 400 movies, from every where, every one. From classic western starred by John Wayne to the newest David Lynch. Its a difficult (or impossible) duty to watch 10% of the avaliable movies.

Tickets will start to be avaliable tomorrow (september 18th), at the Espaço de Cinema (Rua Voluntários da Pátria, 35 - Botafogo). The movie fanatics can even buy a pass for 20 or 50 movie sessions (and change for each movie ahead, so you wont miss the session)or buy each ticket for each movie.

For the foreigners with a bit of portuguese knowledge, I´d recomend watching the brazilian movies on the Premiere Brasil, which brings every year the newest productions from this country. Another two movies that worth seeing: the british documentary about samba (A Magia do Samba) and the much seen and spoken Tropa de Elite, which will finally be avaliable on the directors cut (not the pirates cut), telling the story of the elite troop of police from Rio, Bope.

More information can be reached on festival do Rio

Meet the favela!

Knowing about how is life in the Rio´s Favelas is something that tourists always wants to know. I personally sometimes think is something invasive, very close to a human safari. But some events are interesting to get to know what is really important from people that live on the favelas (and that they are proud of) - their cultural production.

From today (july 19th) until sunday (july 22nd), Circo Voador in Lapa will be hosting the second edition of the Favela Bienal of Arts. People can see for free dance, music, paintings and cultural debates about life and art on the Favelas of Rio.

To see all the program, check the website - http://www.circovoador.com.br (click on the "saiba mais" of the 2a. Bienal Favela Festa)

keep having fun!

Party in the Circus

The proximity of the Pan American Games has given a diferent athmosphere to the city, and I´m not only talking about raising prices for accomodation or having huge traffic jams all day long around the ciy.... The lively athmosphere that surrounds the city during the carnival time is back! Many blocos (check previous posts to see what a bloco is) are parading on the beaches on the weekend and the night clubs are re-acting their Carnival parties.

One of them is Circo Voador, in Lapa. They are offering again their carnival programme, where samba schools, funk singers and blocos meet every night. Tickets costs R$ 40 (in advance) or R$ 50 (on the night). Here is the programmation:

July 3rd - Bateria da Mangueira / Dj Daniel Faria / Dj Tartaruga / Dj Ailton / MC Sapão / MC Pé de Pano

July 10th - Bateria da Mangueira / Gerson Bruno / Dj Tartaruga / Dj Ailton / MR. Catra / Bonde das Louras

July 24th - Bateria da Mangueira / Gerson Bruno / Dj Tartaruga / Dj Ailton / Mc Sabrina / Quebra Tudo

July 31st - Bateria da Mangueira / Dj Daniel Faria / Dj Tartaruga / Dj Ailton / Cidinho e Doca / JR e Leonardo

Is better and save than adventure through favelas for the funk parties...

Let the games begin!!!!!!!!!

From july 13th to 29th, Rio de Janeiro will be the place to be if you enjoy sports (if you don´t, better change your travelling plans to august and on...). The XV Pan American Games will be held in Rio. Some sports will have free exibitions, like the marathon or some of watersports, but for most of the games, you will need a ticket. The good news is that they are already avaliable to be bought, and you can do that through internet... Bad news is that some finals area already sold out (luckly, football / soccer still avaliable.

To buy a ticket, you need to go to this website - http://www.ingressosrio2007.com.br (cut and paste, somehow is not linking now...)

They may request some id number (CPF for brazilians)to proceed, but if dont have a clue about what it is, just keep answering no and put your passaport number. Some countries will have special deals to buy the tickets localy, from their olympics comitees, just check on while you try to buy it. The website is in portuguese, english and spanish.

Tickets will be collected by presenting the id quoted and the credit card used (they will only take Visa brand)by june 20th, at Rio Sul, a very central and easy to find shopping mall in Botafogo.

For those that hadn´t already find accomodation, is better to run. I havent heard already from any offical institute, but I presume it will be hard to find, since its also vacation time, besides the games...

Oh, and despite some people still think - it will be winter time in Rio, so don´t be so disapointed if you can´t go to the beach everyday... :-)

É Carnaval!!!!!!!!!!!!

Despite all the violence problems, Carnival is about to begin in Rio. In fact, it has already started, with the samba schools reharshals at their places and the technical parades held every weekend at the Sambadrome. And if you think about the Cidade do Samba, is carnival all year long.

First, I have to explain that Carnival is not only at the sambadrome. There is party everywhere, in everystreet, just need to have two or more people making music....
The fun thing is to follow the organized blocos, a bunch of people that follow some circuit on the streets, singing and dancing. They have already started doing that, and I will post here some of them.

On next saturday, february 3rd, Banda de Ipanema will do their first parade. Being created in 1965, is now known as a gay parade, where people often honor Carmem Miranda and her costumes. They meet at General Osório square in Ipanema, around 3 pm.

Another option for the same day is the Imprensa que eu Gamo, the bloco from the media people in Rio. They meet around 2 pm, in front of the Mercadinho São José, in Laranjeiras, and start parading around 4 pm. The parade is not so long, but the party is fun.

I still need to write about the carnival days, I will be doing anytime soon!

Enjoy the party! Its just starting!

Movie for all in Rio

All movie lovers in Rio don´t need to be sad, away from their beloved movie theaters during their vacations on this tropical paradise. There is a cult movie chain that promotes parties that connect party, music and cinema (of course). The party place is the historical Odeon movie theater, located on the historical Cinelândia, downtown Rio (there is a subway station there, so is no dificult to find!)

This friday, january 5th, is the night of the movie marathon. Three movies are exibited, and between them, a dj plays. Tickets costs R$ 20 and the marathon starts at 11 pm. On the menu, three premiers (at least for us here in Brazil):

11:30 pm - "Stranger Than Fiction", de Marc Forster.Com Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah,Emma Thompson, Tom Hulce.

2h15 am: “Perfume - The Story of Murder", de Tom Tykwer.Com Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood.

5h15 am: "La Gran Final", de Gerardo Olivares.

At the end, coffee and cakes for the resistant ones.

On wednesday, january 10th, its time for the short brazilian movies. The party Cachaça Cinema Clube presents always some short movies and after, there is a dj playing and, guess what, Cachaça Tasting! All for R$ 5, starting on 8h30 pm. As now is vacation time for students in Brazil, the party gets really crowded. I´d say is better to get there earlier and buy the tickets on advance.
On the menu, three short movies directed by Mario Carneiro, one of the most importants film photographers from the New Cinema Wave in Brazil (around the 60ies). "Arraial do Cabo", from Mário Carneiro e Paulo César Saraceni, 1960;"Iberê Camargo", de Mário Carneiro, 1982; "O Enigma de um Dia", de Joel Pizzini, 1996

There will be also shown some traillers from masterpieces from brazilian cinema in which Carmeiro was responsable for the photography.

New music from Brazil

Brazil is well known everywhere because of its musical quality. Bossa Nova, Samba, Funk, all have been (in a way) important contributions for the world music context. One good thing is to get to know bands at their early start. The fresher, the better!!!!!!!!!! The beggining of the year have good options of music festivals that can introduce those new musicians to the population. Recife hosts every april the festival "Abril pro Rock" (Open to Rock, a work puzzle with the meaning and how it is written the month april, which can also means open), May is the time when Natal hosts MADA (Music food for the soul), held on a beach.

But Rio has their own new talent show - Humaitá Pra Peixe. Starting tomorrow (friday, january 5th) and held until the last weekend, every friday, saturday and sunday, around 7 pm. Every night, two new faces from the local musical scene perform at the small theater at Humaitá, close to the audience. Teatro Sergio Porto is located on Rua Humaitá, 163 - Humaitá.

Tickets costs R$ 24 a night and a profile from the bands can be read at www.humaitaprapeixe.com.br

05/01 (friday) – A Filial / Curumin
06/01 (saturday) – Ordinário Groove Combo / Rio Maracatu
07/01 (sunday) – Rockz / Scracho

12/01 (friday) – Brasov / DuSouto
13/01 (saturday) – Zé de Riba / Tom Bloch
14/01 (sunday) – Revolucionnários / Fresno

19/01 (friday) – Rodrigo Bittencourt / Érika Machado
20/01 (saturday) – Edu Krieger / Casuarina
21/01 (sunday) – Reverse / Eletro

26/01 (friday) – Duplexx / Vugue Tostoi
27/01 (saturday) – Turbo Trio/ Móveis Coloniais de Acaju
28/01 (sunday) – Debate o “Mercado da música para novos talentos”