The Open City Documentary Festival will take place in venues across Central London
Celebrating the art of non-fiction, Open City Documentary Festival creates an open space in London to nurture and champion the art of creative documentary and non-fiction filmmakers. The festival takes place over six days in venues across Central London, and consists of international contemporary and retrospective non-fiction film, audio and cross media, as well as filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, workshops, networking and parties. The eighth edition of the festival will take place between 4th – 9th September 2018.
Their opening night film, Baronesa (Julia Antunes, 2017), deals with the hardships of living in the hostile environment of the favela, more specifically at Belo Horizonte, capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The movie follows friends Andreia and Leid as they navigate the perilous reality of daily life in the favelas of Belo Horizonte. At first glance, their days seem calm and untroubled, but the threat of violence is never far away and Andreia dreams of moving to the safer neighborhood of nearby Baronesa.
Julia Antunes spent five years in Belo Horizonte working with a non-professional cast to create a work of rare intimacy and authenticity which—despite its simple structure—emerges as a complex, multilayered and moving portrait of contemporary life in the favelas. The crew, by the way, is mainly composed of woman; after the screening there will be a Q&A with the director.
I Remember the Crows (Lembro Mais dos Corvos, Gustavo Vinagre, 2018) takes the form of an extended interview with Julia Katharine, a Japanese-Brazilian trans actress-filmmaker. Veering between performative and confessional, constantly self-aware and thought-provoking, Julia’s monologue covers broad ground, delving into her childhood, relationships, hopes and desires whilst referring frequently to the films she’s seen that have come to inform her identity. The actress is a long time friend of the director, which contributes to the intimate testimony.
Baronesa
When: Tuesday, 4 September – 18:30
Where: Regent Street Cinema – 309 Regent St, Marylebone, London W1B 2UW, Reino Unido
I Remember the Crows
When: Saturday, 8 September – 20:30
Where: BFI Southbank – Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XT, Reino Unido
Link to the events:
Baronesa: https://opencitylondon.com/events/baronesa/
I Remember the Crows: https://opencitylondon.com/events/i-remember-the-crows/