Pictures of Ghosts
| Pictures of Ghosts | |
|---|---|
 Brazilian release poster | |
| Portuguese | Retratos Fantasmas |
| Directed by | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| Written by | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| Produced by | Emilie Lesclaux |
| Starring | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| Narrated by | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| Cinematography | Pedro Sotero |
| Edited by | Matheus Farias |
| Music by | Tomas Alves Souza |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Vitrine Filmes (Brazil) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Brazil |
| Language | Portuguese |
Pictures of Ghosts (Portuguese: Retratos Fantasmas) is a 2023 Brazilian documentary film written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The film revisits Kleber's hometown, the Brazilian city of Recife, through the historical prism of the cinemas he once frequented, based on his own personal archival footage, remembering what used to be idyllic places, now closed, that constituted an important time-marker in the evolution of Brazilian society.[1]
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, in the Special Screenings section.[2] Followed by screenings at the Main Slate section of the 2023 New York Film Festival[3] and at the Wavelengths section of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the Brazilian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards,[4] but was not nominated.
Plot
Downtown Recife’s classic movie palaces from the 20th century are mostly gone. That city area is now an archaeological site of sorts that reveals aspects of life in society which have been lost. And that's just part of the story.[2]
Production
During seven years, while watching his own old videos at his office, on VHS, Betacam, and Hi8 cassettes, or on MiniDV, personal files and records which also contain photographs and audio recordings, Kleber began the film developing, also aiming to shoot new footage with modern equipment. Official production started in 2017, before the shooting of 2019's Bacurau, as a side project, with its own time frame.[1]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, in the Special Screenings section.[2] Followed by screenings at the 2023 New York Film Festival,[3] at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and at the 27th Lima Film Festival.[5] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 5 October 2023.[6]
The film had its Brazilian premiere on 14 August 2023, in Recife,[7] and was released in the rest of the country on 24 August 2023, by Vitrine Filmes.
Reception
Critical response
Pictures of Ghosts has an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 16 reviews, and an average rating of 7.9/10.[8]
Accolades
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 21 May 2023 | L'Œil d'or | Kleber Mendonça Filho | Nominated | [9] |
| Lima Film Festival | 18 August 2023 | Best Documentary | Pictures of Ghosts | Won | [10] |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 22 October 2023 | Gold Hugo for Best Documentary | Nominated | [11] | |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 28 October 2023 | Tiempo de Historia Award | Nominated | [12] | |
| Tiempo de Historia Second Prize | Won | [13] |
See also
- List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Brazilian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
- ^ a b bpavan (2023-05-19). "Retratos Fantasmas (Pictures of Ghosts), Kleber Mendonça Filho returns to Recife". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
- ^ a b c "RETRATOS FANTASMAS". Festival de Cannes. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
- ^ a b "61st New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ^ "Brasil escolhe "Retratos Fantasmas", de Kleber Mendonça Filho, como o seu representante na corrida ao Oscar 2024 de Melhor Filme Internacional!". Termômetro Oscar 2024 - Candidatos, Indicados e Vencedores (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ "Retratos fantasmas" [Pictures of Ghosts]. 27 Festival de Cine de Lima (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ "Filme "Retratos Fantasmas", do cineasta Kleber Mendonça Filho, terá pré-estreia nacional no Teatro do Parque | Prefeitura do Recife". www2.recife.pe.gov.br. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pictures_of_ghosts
- ^ Debruge, Peter (2023-05-27). "Cannes Awards: 'Anatomy of a Fall' Takes Palme d'Or, 'The Zone of Interest' and 'The Pot au Feu' Among Winners". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
- ^ "¡Estos son los ganadores del 27 Festival de Cine de Lima PUCP!". festivaldelima.com (in Spanish). 2023-08-18. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (14 September 2023). "'Fallen Leaves', 'About Dry Grasses', 'La Chimera' among Chicago fest international line-up (exclusive)". Screendaily. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Seminci 2023 anuncia nuevos nombres para la Sección Oficial y Tiempo de Historia". Cine y Tele (in Spanish). 18 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Hopewell, John; Sandovaldate, Pablo (29 October 2023). "Valladolid: 'The Permanent Picture,' 'The Old Oak' Win Big as the Spanish Festival's Reboot Wins Applause". Variety. Retrieved 3 November 2023.