The Best of VLAFF | BRAZIL | TUESDAY | MAY 18th | 8:00PM

Where: Pacific Cinématéque | 1131 Howe Street (at Helmcken)

Special Presentation – SAMBA POET

The “Best of VLAFF” series continues with one of the highlights from our 2009 Festival: Noel: The Samba Poet. Accompanied by a marvelous Samba soundtrack, the film tells the story of the short life of one of Brazil’s great Samba composers and provides a vibrant glimpse into life in 1930s Rio.

The Best of VLAFF | BRAZIL | TUESDAY | MAY 18th | 8:00PM

THE SAMBA POET | Trailer

Director: Ricardo Van Steen
Producers: Marcelo Torres, René Bittencourt, Paulo Dantas
Editor: Umberto Martins
Music Producer: Arto Lindsay
Screenplay: Pedro Vicente
Cinematographer: Paulo Vainer
Cast: Rafael Raposo, Camila Pitanga, Jonathan Haagensen, Flavio Bauraqui, Rui Resende

At 17, Noel is a funny guy who likes to taunt his friends with samba improvisations. A middle-class white guy, he prefers the company of poor blacks, factory girls and hookers. Challenged by these friends to compose sambas, he writes “Com que Roupa?” a parody of the Brazilian anthem that becomes an instant success. From then on, Noel flies through the golden age of radio like a comet, changing the direction of Brazilian popular music.

Ricardo Van Steen directed more than 500 TV commercials. His first short movie, Com Que Roupa?, also about Noel Rosa, won the Best Photography award at Brazil’s Gramado Festival in 1997. Van Steen directed two other feature-length documentaries: Um Cigarro, Mil Historias and Tinta Fresca. Noel: The Samba Poet is his debut feature film and won the 2008 ABC Cinematography Award for Best Art Direction. 

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