For its fourth edition, the Festival del film Locarno’s Carte Blanche initiative (August 9-11, 2014) turns the spotlight on Brazil. Supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Carte Blanche offers a look at films in post-production from a different country every year.

Of the 45 submissions received by Cinema do Brasil, the Festival del film Locarno chose 7 films for the Carte Blanche showcase. 

At the beginning of each screening, the producers and directors will introduce their film to the various international sales agents, funders, distributors and festival programmers attending.

The selected films are:

• "Aspirantes" ("Hopefuls") by Ives Rosenfeld, produced by Luiz Alberto Gentile (Crisis Produtitvas) and Tatiana Leite (Bubbles Project)
• "Beco" ("Alley") by Camilo Cavalcante, produced by Camilo Cavalcante and Caio Zatti (Aurora Cinema)
• "Nise Da Silveira" (photo above) by Roberto Berliner, produced by and Rodrigo Letier (TV Zero)
• "O Touro" ("The Bull") by Larissa Figueiredo, produced by Rafael Urban (Tu i Tam Filmes)
• "Oracao do Amor Selvagem" ("Wild Love Prayer") by Chico Faganello, produced by André Gevaerd (Cineramabc), Chico Faganello (Filmesquevoam) and Flavia Castro (Orbital)
• "Ponto Zero" ("Point Zero") by José Pedro Goulart, produced by Aletéia Selonk (Minima) and Graziella Ferst (OKNA)
• "Que Horas Ela Volta?" ("Where is She?) by Anna Muylaert, produced by Fabiano Gullane, Caio Gullane (Gullane Films) and Africa Filmes

“The great number of submissions to the Carte Blanche and the variety of genres and styles coming from many regions of Brazil reaffirm the maturity of the Brazilian production. We’ve sought to send to Locarno films that reflected this diversity, and the Festival has finished the selection of these 7 titles, which have now a great opportunity in their hands. The fact that these films are being shown in the post-production stage to such important international players increases a lot the chances of these titles in the international market, not only in Sales, but also in the selection of renewed festivals throughout the world," said André Sturm, Cinema do Brasil’s Chairman.

On August 11, the jury, comprised of Vincenzo Bugno (World Cinema Fund Project Manager, Member of the Competition selection committee, Festival Delegate, Berlin International Film Festival), Christian Jeune (Director of Film Department, Deputy General Delegate, Festival de Cannes) and Eva Morsch Kihn (Member of the selection committee of Cinéma en Construction Toulouse/San Sebastian – Manager of the professional platform Cinélatino, Toulouse) will award a prize of 10,000 CHF (about $11,000) to the most promising film in order to help with its completion.

This year’s Festival del film Locarno will welcome a delegation of more than 50 Brazilian professionals including producers, distributors, filmmakers, funders and journalists. Among the confirmed guests are the “ambassador” of this year’s Carte Blanche, Alice Braga (juror of the Concorso internazionale), Helvécio Marins Jr. (Pardi di domani juror) and many more.

To honor their presence at this year’s festival, there will be a special focus on the Brazilian market during the distribution initiative, Step, set for August 10. The panel is open to the public. Confirmed panellists: André Sturm (Chairman, Cinema do Brasil), Renata de Almeida (Programming Director, São Paulo International Film Festival), Jean-Thomas Bernardini (President, Imovision), Marcos de Oliveira (General Manager, Europa Filmes), Sara Silveira (Producer, Dezenove Som e Imagem).