MY FATHER, MY MASTER

52' doco explores the relationship between Master Roxinho and Master Virgilio. It is a father / son, master / disciple relationship attempting to re-structure the cultural practice of Capoeira Angola - a fight within a dance, a ritual of resistance created in the 18th century by African slaves in Brazil.

A 9 minute trailer was screened at the Sydney Latin American Film Festival 10 Mar 08 at the Chauvel Cinema and was one of the 4 finalists running for the Panavision Award for Best Local Production. Below is a 2 min taste of Master Roxinho 3 weeks before he recieved his father in Sydney.


(the new 9 minute tralier previewed at SLAFF 2008)

(old 3 minute trailer)

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

I was born in Brazil but have live in Australia for the last 8 years. I have strong interests in the African, Brazilian and Australian cultures. I am fascinated by the relationships between the colonized nations that are forming in the South Hemisphere. In this film Brazilians and Australians meet through an African connection.

My Father, My Master is a departure from a “director-for-hire” scenario or “short-form one-man NGO video producer” into a director-producer of a longer form documentary that explores the cultural relationships between Australia and Brazil. There is growing migration of Brazilian and other South American populations to Australia and a growing relationship between these cultures. Brazilian titles are becoming more frequent on SBS television and on music and film festivals across Australia. As a Brazilian-Australian filmmaker I want to help strengthening this cultural connection.

I want to continue to follow the relationship Australia-Brazil in future projects. Developing ideas include exploring how Capoeira is used to help restructure the lives of African refugees in Australia; and exploring the similar legends that exist in both Indigenous Brazilian and Indigenous Australian cultures.

 
(animation from youtube user taag3 from Jamaica. Hoping he joins our team)

The shooting process

I have been shooting this project since August 2007 with the assistance of volunteers and with the support of friends and companies like Agostino Marcello of Ellectric Eye, David Goldie of Goldiemedia, Rowena Crowe of JKL edit and Alejandra Canales.

With their help I have accumulated aprox 60 hours of HDV footage, digitized and logged most of the material and have produced a trailer to help attract finance.

The Trailer and other clips - style and approach

The main 3.5 minutes trailer that is in the front page was edited in Jan 08. It is highly constructed to give an idea of the story and main character, but it is not necessarily an indication of style, neither it shows sub-characters and their stories. The preview screened at the Sydney Latin American Film Festival on 10 March is more of an indication of visual style I intend to explore with less text intervention (without narration), where the African-Brazilian culture and the relationship between students and Master comes across through observational footage of daily activities like cooking, cleaning, shopping and group meetings.

The DVD extras

1. The best Capoeira games of the Int Sydney Conference in full.
2. Bits of rhythm and lyrics classes by Master Virgilio.
3. Bits of movement class with Master Roxinho.
4. More detailed interviews with Master Virgilio about the history of Capoeira
5. The best stories that did not make it to the final cut.

The Audience

I believe this project’s strength is the “niche” market of cable TV, DVD sales and festivals. Capoeira is greatest ambassador of Brazilian culture and the Portuguese language. There are 100,000 + Capoeira websites around the world. There are Capoeira and Latin American Film Festivals around the world. There are Latin channels on cable television and there is also the Brazilian Television.