Tag Archives: Rio

Winners at Festival do Rio in 2021

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The awards for the 23rd Festival do Rio were announced and presented during a ceremony at Sala 1 of Estação NET Botafogo on Sunday, 19 December 2021. 

Première Brasil – Redentor Trophy – 2021

Jury: Patrícia Andrade (president), Bia Salgado, Gustavo Pizzi, Quito Ribeiro and Suzana Pires

Best Fiction Feature: Medusa, by Anita Rocha da Silveira

Best Documentary: Rolê – Histórias dos rolezinhos, by Vladimir Seixas

Best Short: Solitude, by Tami Martins and Aron Miranda

Special Jury Prize: Medida provisória, by Lázaro Ramos

Best Director – Feature Fiction: Anita Rocha da Silveira, for Medusa; and Laís Bodanzky, for A viagem de Pedro

Best Director – Documentary:  Murilo Salles, for Uma baía

Best Actress: Tati Villela, for Mundo novo

Best Actor: Rômulo Braga, for Sol

Best Supporting Actress: Lara Tremouroux, for Medusa

Best Supporting Actor: Sergio Laurentino, for A viagem de Pedro

Best Screenwriting: Alvaro Campos and cast, for Mundo novo

Best Editing: Eva Randolph, for Uma baía

Best Cinematography: Ivo Lopes Araújo, for Casa vazia

 

Première Brasil – New Directions (Novos Rumos) 2021

Jury: Emílio Domingos (president), Alice Furtado and Mariana Genescá

Best Film: Rio Doce, by Fellipe Fernandes

Special Jury Prize: for actress Renata Carvalho, for Os primeiros soldados

Special Jury Prize (Honorary Mention): O dia da posse, by Allan Ribeiro

Best Short: Chão de fábrica, by Nina Kopko

Festival do Rio returns with the support of Mayor Eduardo Paes

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As Rio de Janeiro emerges from the global pandemic, 9 December 2021, saw the return of its premiere annual film event with the opening of the 23rd Festival do Rio, Rio International Film Festival with the Brazilian premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers. Festival do Rio returns this year with the full support of the Mayor and city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as live audiences

“Our mission,” the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, explains “is to re-build Rio’s role in the audiovisual sector and strengthen the sector with investment, which we have already started to do. Rio as a city depends a lot on culture, as it helps to build the history and identity of our city and our people. Festival do Rio is one of the pillars of our renaissance on both the national and world stage.”

From 9 to 19 December 2021 the cinema going public in Rio de Janeiro has the opportunity to see both international and domestic Brazilian films. They include award-winners, some of the years most talked about and commented on productions, and rarities from the archives. The public also get to participate in debates, special sessions and lectures.

Navigating its way back after an absent year, this year’s edition is a compact  one, with 25 centre-pieces with sights on returning to a full-length edition in 2022 and new banner sponsors.

Première Brasil remains one of the most anticipated and popular sections of the festival, and the main competitive section that offers an important shop window for Brazilian cinema both internationally and domestically. Première Brasil also gives the audiences in Rio the chance to see the films and then meet and talk with the filmmakers and actors. The public also votes for the best film in the categories of fiction, documentary and short, while an official jury awards the festival’s Redentor trophy across a diverse range of categories from the films in official competition. In total 71 Brazilian films drawn from features  and shorts will screen across Rio in the Première Brasil section during the festival

 

“This year’s selection,” says festival director Ilda Santiago,”shows a strong Brazilian cinema, full of reflection which, despite far from ideal conditions, is ready to reclaim its place with the cinema going public.”

Among international highlights this year are Joe Wright’s Cyrano and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, both of which are receiving their Brazilian premieres. Also screening are this year’s Palme d’Or winner, Julia Ducournau’s Titane; along with Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman; Radu Jude’s winner of Berlin’s Golden Bear, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn; Apichatpong Weerasethakul Memoria; Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta; Andrea Arnold’s Cow; Nanni Moretti’s Three Floors; and Woody Allen’s most recent offering, Rifkin’s Festival, that premiered during the recent San Sebastian Film Festival.

Brazilian directors with films screening during Festival do Rio include Júlio Bressane, Karim Aïnouz, Bruno Barreto, Luiz Carlos Lacerda, Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, Luiz Carlos Lacerda, Murilo Salles, Laís Bodanzky, and many others.

The work of Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai will be in the spotlight with the screening of five of the director’s most acclaimed films that have been restored by the director in partnership with MUBI. The festival also celebrates the 70th anniversary of the French film magazine “Cahiers du Cinéma” with the screening of some classic French works from Louis Malle, Robert Bresson, Chris Marker, Eric Rohmer, René Laloux, Jacques Rivette, Jean-Luc Godard and Costa-Gavras, as well as an exhibition of the magazine.

Rio & Brazil host Copa America 2021

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Originally planned for Argentina and Colombia in 2020, and then moved to 2021 due to the pandemic, the Copa America was finally switched to Brazil at the very last moment with games taking place from 13 June to 10 July 2021. Brazil had hosted and won the cup for the ninth time in 2019.

Group games will be played across four stadiums – Nilton Santos (Rio), Olympic (Goiana), Arena Pantanal (Cuiaba) and Mane Garrincha (Brasilia) – with the final to be played at the Maracanã in Rio.

New Boteco – Boa Praça – for Ipanema

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Many regular visitors to Rio in the 1970s, 80s and 90s will remember Barril 1800 on Ipanema Beach. Sadly Barril departed the scene in 2007 to be replaced by Bar Rio and then the Astor. But it appears Astor has not survived the pandemic and having been closed for nearly a year will give way to a branch of Boteco Boa Praça, a group that started life in São Paulo and opened a popular Rio branch in Leblon (Rua Dias Ferreira 12) in 2019.

The new Boa Praça is expected to open in May 2021 with plans for a third Rio branch in Barra (Av Olegário Maciel) by the year end.

No news yet as to what may happen to the upper floor in Ipanema that some will remember during Barril’s time as Jazzmania (1983-1994) where you could have been lucky enough to catch the likes of Chet Baker, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, Toots Thielemans, Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Marisa Monte, Hermeto Pascoal, João Bosco, Jorge Ben and many, many others.

Rio’s New Restaurants in early 2021

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Crisis? What crisis? Pandemic? What pandemic? Despite what is going on in and around the world, Rio de Janeiro has still seen the opening of a number of new restaurants since the start of the year including recently the 600 seater Nordic Steakhouse, O Nórdico, in Av Olegário Maciel in Barra which comes with a Viking theme!

More tempting may be Escama, a new seafood restaurant in Rua Visconde de Carandaí in Jardim Botânico. While you can find fish on the menu at most restaurants in Rio, actual seafood restaurants are surprisingly quite few and far between.

A new Italian, Amalfitana, has opened up in the space vacated by Quadrifoglio in the Village Mall in Barra, while Leblon has a new bistro, Sole, in Rua Dias Ferreira. And Burgers Rio has opened a new branch at Rua Voluntários da Pátria 1 in Botafogo to add to the one at Rua Aníbal de Mendonça 55 in Ipanema.

Flying Down to Rio with British United

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A blast from the past when British United flew between the UK and Brazil.

British United took over BOAC’s South American routes to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay on 5 November 1964. Those routes, flying VC10s via Madrid, Lisbon, Las Palmas or Freetown, became profitable for United by late-1968. In November 1970, the airline was sold and merged into Caledonian to form British Caledonian that continued to fly to South America, replacing the VC10s with Boeing 707s in 1972, which allowed for a non-stop service between London Gatwick and Rio.

British Airways took over the routes from British Caledonian in 1985.

Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2020

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Despite all the challenges faced by the hospitality industry, the annual list of “Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants” was announced on 3 December. Bragging rights for the top spot went to Don Julio in Buenos Aires.

Nine restaurants on the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants are to be found in Brazil. They are A Casa do Porco, D.O.M., Maní, Evvai, Mocotó and Corrutela in São Paulo; Oteque and Lasai in Rio de Janeiro; and Manu in Curitiba.

The full list to give food for thought is:

  • 1. Don Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 2. Maido, Lima, Peru
  • 3. Central, Lima, Peru
  • 4. A Casa do Porco, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 5. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 6. Boragó, Santiago, Chile
  • 7. El Chato, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 8. Mishiguene, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 9. Rosetta, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 10. Osso Lima, Peru
  • 11. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 12. Oteque, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 13. D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil
  • 14. Pangea, Monterrey, Mexico
  • 15. Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico
  • 16. Tegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 17. Sud 777, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 18. Kjolle, Lima, Peru
  • 19. Chila, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 20. Isolina, Lima, Peru
  • 21. Lasai, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 22. Astrid y Gastón, Lima, Peru
  • 23. Maní, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 24. Mayta, Lima, Peru
  • 25. Harry Sasson, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 26. Evvai, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 27. Leo, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 28. Parador La Huella, José Ignacio, Uruguay
  • 29. Rafael, Lima, Peru
  • 30. Le Chique, Cancún, Mexico
  • 31. Nicos, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 32. De Patio, Santiago, Chile
  • 33., Mocotó, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 34. Gran Dabbang, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 35. Mil, Cusco, Peru
  • 36. Máximo Bistrot, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 37. Mérito, Lima, Peru
  • 38. Osaka, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 39. El Baqueano, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 40, Narda Comedor, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 41. Restaurante 040, Santiago, Chile
  • 42. Maito, Panama City, Panama
  • 43. Aramburu, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 44. Manu, Curitiba, Brazil
  • 45. La Mar, Lima, Peru
  • 46. Ambrosía, Santiago, Chile
  • 47. El Preferido de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 48. Nuema, Quito, Ecuador
  • 49. Celele, Cartagena, Colombia
  • 50. Corrutela, São Paulo, Brazil

Changes at Fasano in Rio

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All change at the Fasano Hotel in Ipanema in Rio, at least as far as restaurants go. Out goes Fasano al Mare, which never had much of a fan base, and in comes a branch of the Fasano’s Gero offering sophisticated, contemporary Italian cuisine.

The standalone Gero, in Aníbal de Mendonça, now becomes a more relaxed branch of Panini Gero, offering sandwiches, pastas and pizzas. Gero Barra, remains closed for now, but Gero Trattoria in Shopping Leblon has reopened as has the hotel’s own beach kiosk on Ipanema, Marea.

New Executive Director for Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau

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The Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau (RCVB) has a new Executive Director, Roberta Werner.

Roberta is experienced in working with international events as well as the hospitality industry having worked in Brazil for Windsor, Caesar Park Ipanema, Sofitel Rio, Grand Hyatt and, most recently, Fasano. At the RCVB she replaces Philipe Campello who now heads up TurisRio, the State of Rio Tourist Board. 

Fro more information about the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau CLICK HERE

 

 

Michelin Starred restaurants in Rio & São Paulo 2020

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Michelin has announced the restaurants in Rio and São Paulo to be awarded the prestigious Michelin Star for 2020. With two stars are Oro and Oteque in Rio de Janeiro and D.O.M. and Ryo Gastronomia in São Paulo. One Star was awarded to Cipriani, Lasai and Mee in Rio; and Evvai, Huto, Jun Sakamoto, Kan Suke, Kinoshita, Maní and Picchi in São Paulo.

In “Michelin 2020 Bib Gourmand,” the category that recognises more informal restaurants with good quality and good value cooking, six restaurants in Rio de Janeiro are listed in the 2020 Michelin Guide (Artigiano, Didier, Miam Miam, Lilia, Pici Trattoria, and Maria e o Boi) and 33 in São Paulo (AE! Cozinha, Ama.zo, Arturito, Baianeira, Balaio IMS, Banzeiro, Barú Marisquería, Le Bife, Bio, Bistrot de Paris, Brasserie Victória, Casa do Porco, Casa Santo Antônio, Cepa, Charco, Corrutela, Ecully – Perdizes, Fitó, Kith 2º Andar, Komah, Manioca, Mimo, Mocotó, Nit, Petí Gastronomia, Petí Americana, Piccolo, Più, Più Iguatemi, Tanit, TonTon, Tordesilhas, and Zena Caffè).

According to Michelin 85%, as of 20 September 2020 of Michelin Starred restaurants worldwide at 35 destinations are currently open for dining either inside or outside. In Brazil 72% of the Michelin Starred restaurants are now open, but in the US just 14% of Starred restaurants are welcoming guests again. In Europe, Belgium has 95% of its Michelin Starred restaurants back open; in Spain and Portugal, the percentages have risen to 86% and 93% respectively; while the UK it is at 73%.