Pictures of Ghosts
Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho Run Time: 93 min. Format: DCP Release Year: 2023 Language: Portuguese
Starring: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Lucrecia Martel, Maeve Jinkings, Rubens Santos, Sônia Braga
Premiere Run February 23–27
Sunday’s 6:00 show co-presented with Brazil GSD and the Harvard Brazilian Association, with a special introduction before the screening. Sponsored by Harvard Graduate School of Design and David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.
Brazil’s official selection for the 2024 Academy Awards, PICTURES OF GHOSTS, from acclaimed director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacarau), is a multi-dimensional journey through time, sound, architecture, and filmmaking, set in the urban landscape of Recife, Brazilian coastal capital of Pernambuco. Filho sets out to examine this historical territory through the great movie theatres that served as spaces of community and conviviality in Recife during the 20th century. Having hosted dreams and progress, these places also embody major transformations in the way Brazilians—and indeed all of us—live. Combining archive documentary, historical investigation, film clips, and personal memories, PICTURES OF GHOSTS is a map of a city through the lens of cinema. – adapted from notes by Grasshopper Films
“A heartfelt love letter to filmmaking and film watching the world over.” — Lee Marshall, Screen Daily