Rachel Weisz, Jude Law -starrer “360” to open Brazil’s Gramado Film Fest

PanARMENIAN.Net - Fernando Meirelles' 360 will open the 40th-anniversary edition of the Festival of Gramado, the second oldest fest in Brazil and one of the most prestigious in South America, The Hollywood Reporter said.

The ensemble thriller, which stars Rachel Weisz, Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins, looks at the intersecting relationships of an array of characters from different social backgrounds.

The fest also has programmed a selection of features and shorts from Brazil and Latin America, including countries like Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Cuba. There are four competitive sections: Brazilian feature film, with eight competing films; foreign feature film, with five competitors; short film in Brazil, with 14 competitors; and short film gaucho, with 21 competitors.

Every year, the Festival of Gramado gathers Brazilian stars, directors and producers. Curator Mark Sanctuary said this edition will be a big celebration.

"The idea is to look at the past and all that built and consolidated the Gramado Film Festival and also look ahead, look back for the next 40 years," said the journalist.

Actor José Wilker, who is also one of the curators, said that this year the festival has the opportunity to evaluate its past four decades and to think about the future.

"I remember times when the only alternative that we saw in the film industry in Brazil was in Gramado, which survived all these years through national crises. It was very important for the national film industry and South America’s productions,” Wilker said.

Honorees this year include actresses Betty Faria and Eva Wilma, who will be feted for their contributions to the national cinema and television.

Acclaimed filmmaker and journalist Arnaldo Jabor will also be honored. Jabor won the first award for best film at the inaugural edition of the festival. Throughout the years, he has taken home eight awards.

Argentine director Juan José Campanella will also receive honors for his contribution to Latin America cinema.

"This festival has gone through it all -- a dictatorship, a censorship by the crisis of the Brazilian cinema -- and it is still here," said Rubens Ewald Filho, a curator of this year's edition.

The festival will take place in the city of Gramado, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, from Aug. 10-18.