Sunday 25 March 2007, 15.00

Programme duration 85 min

This programme comprises documentaries that break social barriers, establish new dialogues and try to reveal Brazil's elusive character. From the streets of São Paulo to the tribes in the outback, these tapes explore the electronic medium's potential to articulate truth, or something like it.

An introduction by the curator is followed by a brief presentation by campaigner Fiona Watson from Survival, an organisation that supports tribal peoples worldwide.

Programme:

Beijoqueiro: Portrait of a Serial Kisser, Carlos Nader, 1992, 29 min

An upbeat and engaging documentary with a dynamic rhythm. Beijoqueiro introduces viewers to a Brazilian man who strives for world peace by kissing all the rich and famous people he can reach. Upon hearing that Frank Sinatra was afraid to come and perform in Brazil, he felt compelled to go and kiss Sinatra to prove Brazil was a friendly place. He has suffered many injuries and broken bones as a result of his mission, which curiously enough embodies basic notions of ‘Christian’ behaviour, yet scares many away. He is now a folk hero in Brazil, his place in history cemented by his successful kissing of Pelé.

I Have No Words, Lucas Bambozzi, 1998, 22 min

Experimental piece that randomly covers situations that are either fiction or documentary. Impressions and self-expressions tangled in a kind of game with the possibilities of meaning creation.

Red Zone, Paleo TV (Jurandir Miller/Kiko Goifman), 2005, 12 min

Traffic light performers in São Paulo are given a video camera to film drivers in their cars, with whom they try to interact and hopefully relieve of some cash. A humorous look at the overwhelming urban-ness of São Paulo and the cruel economic gap between Brazil’s haves and have-nots.

Paradátudo, Brócolis VHS, 2002, 6 min

Revellers at Såo Paulo’s 2002 Gay Pride parade voice their desire for freedom and collectively form a picture that bypasses commercial gay culture’s penchant for labelling and precise definitions.

You Are What You are Born For, TV Zero (Roberto Berliner), 1999, 6 min

Three blind sisters sing for their survival on the streets of Campina Grande, Brazil. By providing personal testimony about the intimate details of their everyday experiences, these women bring into question the act of seeing and perceiving.

Antropofagia Visual (Video Cannibalism), Vicente Carelli, 1995, 17 min

The Video in the Villages Project introduces video among the Enauênê-Nauê Indians, a group still isolated in the north of Mato Grosso state. These Indians are very extroverted and respond with a surprising, high-spirited performance including a lot of clowning around and a re-enactment of a recent attack they had suffered at the hands of their neighbours the Cinta-Larga. Having become accustomed to watching movies on video, they decide to produce their own...

Afinação da Interioridade (The Tuning of Interiority), TV Zero (Roberto Berliner), 2001, 1 min

An irreverently edited interview with Tropicália icon and culture minister Gilberto Gil that, despite its super short length, creates a very revealing portrait of the man.

Tate Modern  Starr Auditorium
£5, booking recommended