Films like 'City of God' left a bad image outside which falls on slum, violence and misery. But now the situation promises to change.

Two brazilian film festivals recently performed in London brought good prospects for real change. The '1 Cine Fest Brazil London' at Riverside Studios and the '3 Cinema of Brazil' at Barbican Centre showed English audience that there is Brazil beside slum. Both festivals left out of their schedule films that would remind the scenario of trafficking. The decision was the mainly subject talked by famous Brazilian directors and actors who attended the two festivals.

The director of '1 Cine Fest Brazil London' explained the purpose of this decision: "We tried to escape from the slum theme in the selection of films for our schedule because the Brazilian cinema is not just about slum. So much so that it can be seen in the line up of the festival. There's only one movie that shows slum. Our cinema has also great comedies and dramas that need to be shown, "said Adriana Dutra.

The big actress Glória Pires was present at the '1 Cine Fest Brazil London’ and declared: "For anything to exist need to have public and people like variety. There are those who follow the directors, there are those who follow the actors, there are those who go to the movies to suffer their pain and there are those who go to the movies for fun. "

And she remembered what the role of the cinema to a country is: "The cinema is the mirror of any culture. Every culture needs to see your reflection and the Brazilian public miss to hear their stories. We had a fast national cinema and now he comes up with new energy, desire to return and carry on, "said the actress.

In two festivals, about 80% of the audience was English. Many of the sessions were sold out.

"The foreign audience loved the cultural diversity of the brazilian cinema. They are quality films with great creativity. We have a very good product in our hands. Brazilian cinema is a great product, "said Adriana Dutra.

With no doubt, it was time to Brazil no longer be summarized by films like 'City of God'.

"Brazil is very rich in cultural diversity and there are multiple realities. In our festivals, we are concerned in bringing film production that reflects the whole picture of our country. So you can understand the Brazilian drama, which is very diverse, "said Adriana Dutra.

Jorge Furtado that was present at Barbican festival spoke about it after the session of his 'Sanitation, The Movie': "I shoot my own class. I'm middle class and I film stories of the middle class. I think I would not know and not feel free to put me in misery and talk about them. I think this is a role for those who are inside. Just as I think that my fellow rich directors that should shot films about the rich class ".

Furtado, despite being the author of the Brazilian short-denounces that was more respected internationally- "Island of Flowers', which shows miserable children of the south of Brazil taking the rests that pigs did not wanted to eat- he raises the question, after all if resolves something to make film about poverty:

"I think there are issues that cinema can not solve. And an example of problem that cinema does not solve is the problem of basic sanitation. To achieve the resolution of those problems you have to get involved with politics”.

However, despite the support to the new course that brazilian cinema follows now, directors say it’s not doubtful the value of films that talk about slums, as it’s part of our reality.

"The cinema has to portray the reality of a country. The United States talks about terrorism as it’s part of their reality, and we speak of the slums, which are part of our reality, "said Adriana Dutra.

"It's complicated, because poverty is something so prevailing in Brazil, that if you will make a movie where there is misery this will be the main issue," said Jorge Furtado.

José Eduardo Belmonte, director who had his film "If nothing else works out ' screened at ‘Cinema of Brazil' said: "The cinema not only the Brazilian one, has the function of to shed light where we do not perceive. It’s through the cinema that we share our perplexity with the world."

There is a real problem for the Brazilian cinema not only in England but throughout the developed world. The great festivals know what the audience expects of Brazilian cinema. Then the first world tends to see only films about slum. In these brazilian festivals the English public had the opportunity to see different issues and actors in Brazilian cinema.

The director Bruno Barreto, who was present at the ‘1 Cine Fest Brazil London’ said about it:

"There is one thing I have to say about these brazilian festivals: They show what the traditional festivals- you know, Venice and Cannes, just to name a few- do not show. They show Brazilian films that the foreign public would never see in any other festival. These festivals are doing a wonderful job for the Brazilian film industry. "

Fact is that is a frustration when Brazilian cinema is summed up in slums. Thanks to these festivals opens a door for Brazilian cinema begins to be seen by other angles outside. "We believe that the festival in London will be a watershed," celebrate Adriana Dutra.