Ó Paí, Ó Brazil. 2007. Dir.: Monique Gardenberg. Digital
projection. 98 min. Comedy - musical.
Original Portuguese version with English subtitles
November 26th at 7pm
December 30th at 9:15pm BUY TICKETS
On the first day of Carnival in Bahia, the inhabitants of a slum located
in the bustling district of Barroquinha, located just below the
Pelourinho, struggle with the news that the landlord of the building has
shut the water down to break up the party. “Ó paí, ó!”, as the title
indicates via a "dialect of Bahia" ("Look at that, look"), turns the
lenses on a slum where iconic characters from the cultural scene of
Bahia will emerge. Lacking money but not desire for amusement, they get
by on creativity, irony, sensuality, and music.
Director: Monique Gardenberg
| Writers: Monique Gardenberg, Márcio Meirelles | Editors: Giba Assis Brasil, João Paulo Carvalho
| Original Music: Davi Moraes and Caetano Veloso | Executive Producer: Augusto Casé
| Cinematography by: Dudu Miranda | Production Companies: Globo Filmes, Dueto Filmes, Dezenove Som e
Imagens, Natasha Filmes. | With: Lázaro Ramos, Dira Paes and Wagner Moura.
Monique Gardenberg is born in Salvador in 1958. She is a
film, video clips and theater director, as well as a producer of
cultural events. She started her cultural involvement as a student,
being the cultural director of the Academic Center, promoting shows
and events at Rio de Janeiro Federal University. She worked as
manager for Milton Nascimento tour and impresario of musicians
Djavan and Marina Lima. After have finished her studies in
Economics, she used to produce Gerald Thomas theater plays.
In 1982, Monique created with her sister the production Dueto
Produções in order to produce important cultural events such as
the Free Jazz Festival (1985-2001), the Carlton Dance
(9 editions) and TIM Festival (from 2002), as well as
Brasilian shows from international artists like Rolling Stones and
Elton John.
She started to film in 1989, in New York University, where she
directed the short-film Insônia and Day 67.
In 1993, her short-film Diário Noturno won 4 awards in
Gramado Festival, including the prize for best short-film direction,
and was selected for the Venice Festival. Her first long-feature Jenipapo, in 1996, was selected for the Sundance Film
Festival as well as Toronto and Rotterdam ones.
She then directed video clips and filmed shows for Caetano Veloso.
In 2002, Monique worked for various theater plays, as a director
too.
Her second long-feature Benjamin in 2004, adapted from
Chico Buarque’s homonymic novel, has been awarded in Rio and Miami
festivals, inclusive as Best Film.
Ó Paí, ó, her third feature, is an adaptation of
Márcio Meirelles successful play acted by the Bando de Teatro
Olodum.
