It's All True – International Documentary Film Festival

It's All True – International Documentary Film Festival
LocationSão Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Founded12 April 1996; 28 years ago (1996-04-12)
LanguageInternational
Websiteetudoverdade.com.br/en/home/

The It's All True – International Documentary Film Festival (Portuguese: É Tudo Verdade - Festival Internacional de Documentários), also known as É Tudo Verdade, is an international film festival held annually in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1]

Launched in 1996 by film critic Amir Labaki,[2][3] is one of the main events in Latin America[4][5] dedicated exclusively to nonfiction productions.[1][6] Held annually in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, some of its editions was subsequently taken to other Brazilians cities, as Brasília and Campinas.

The festival presents several titles in competitive programs for Brazilian and international short, medium or feature-length documentaries, the Latin American Focus, the informative section State of Things, Retrospectives, and Special Screenings.[7]

In 2015, it became the first Latin American festival to automatically qualify the winners of the Short Film Competitions (both Brazilian and International) to compete for the Oscars for Best Documentary (Short Subject).[8][9]

History and background

In 1995, the Brazilian film critic Amir Labaki had the idea of creating a film festival in Brazil dedicated exclusively to nonfiction narratives, until then a type of event that did not exist in the country.[1]

To immediately establish itself as part of the Brazilian cultural scene, the event organization decided to hold the festival simultaneously in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the most important cities in the country.[1] The festival name was inspired in the unfinished Orson Welles feature film "It's All True".[10]

In the following year, in April 1996, the first edition was organized with 29 short and feature length documentaries screened over 10 days.[2] In Rio, it started on April 12[11] and in São Paulo began at April 16.[3]

This first edition was non-competitive, including 12 Brazilian and 10 international productions launched between 1994 and 1996, as well as a retrospective with 7 films directed by the cuban filmmaker Santiago Álvarez.[2] Some of the international entries for the festival were "Jaime de Nevares, último viaje", by Marcelo Céspedes and Carmen Guarini, and opening screening in Rio; "Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier", by Torben Skjødt Jensen, and opening screening in São Paulo; "The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera", by Adam Simon; "The House on Arbat Street", by Marina Goldovskaya; "Lumière et compagnie", by Sarah Moon; "Po zwycięstwie ", by Marcel Łoziński; and "The Murmuring", by Byun Young-joo.[2] Among the Brazilian documentary films shown during the festival were "Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business", by Helena Solberg; "Two Billion Hearts", by Murillo Salles; and "Yndio do Brasil", by Sylvio Back.[12]

From the second edition in April 1997, It's All True became a competitive film festival.[13][14][15] In the early years several well-known international guests such as Marcel Ophuls,[14] Kevin Macdonald,[16] Johan van der Keuken,[17] and Trinh T. Minh-ha[18] attended the event.

Since 2015, the winners of both Brazilian and International Short Film Competitions are automatically qualified to be considered by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Hollywood to compete for the Oscar for Best Documentary (Short Subject), the first and sole Latin American festival to be granted this status.[8][9]

In the 25th edition in 2020, it was presented for the first time an online festival of non-fictional productions, with about 50 hours of Brazilian and International programming, in 30 different titles of feature films, shorts and series, streaming in partnership with the Itaú Cultural website, Spcine Play and Canal Brasil Play.[19][20]

Awards

The festival became competitive from the 2nd edition in 1997, with the International Competition and the Brazilian Competition for medium/feature-length documentaries.[13][15][21]

Currently, the awards given by the jury at the International Competition are: Best Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, Special Jury Award for a Feature or Medium-Length Film, Honorable Mention for a Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, Best Documentary Short-Film, and Honorable Mention for a Short-Film.[22][23]

There are also a Latin-American Competition (Best Documentary Feature Film and Honorable Mention), and plus exclusive awards for Brazilian films (Best Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, Honorable Mention for a Feature or Medium-Length Documentary and Best Documentary Short-Film).[22][23]

International Competition Best Feature Documentary

Year Film Original title Director Country
1996 No awards given
1997 Noel Field—The Fictitious Spy Noel Field – Der erfundene Spion Werner Schweizer   Switzerland*
1998 The Unseen Nespatřené Miroslav Janek  Czech Republic*
1999 Here We Are Waiting for You See Nós que Aqui Estamos por Vós Esperamos Marcelo Masagão  Brazil*
2000 The Long Holiday De Grote Vakantie Johan van der Keuken  Netherlands*
2001 Sacrificio – Who betrayed Che Guevara? Sacrificio - Who betrayed Che Guevara? Erik Gandini and Tarik Saleh  Sweden*
2002 August – A Moment Before The Eruption August - A Moment Before The Eruption Avi Mograbi  Israel*
2003 The Prisoner of the Iron Bars (self -portraits) O Prisioneiro da Grade de Ferro - Auto-Retratos Paulo Sacramento  Brazil
2004 The Soul of the Bone A Alma do Osso Cao Guimarães  Brazil
2005 Reportitoner Reportitoner Michal Leszczylowski  Sweden*
2006 Into Great Silence Die Große Stille Philip Gröning  Germany*
2007 Tomorrow to the Sea Mañana al Mar Ines Thomsen  Germany
2008 Cosmonaut Polyakov Cosmonaut Polyakov Dana Ranga  Romania*
2009 Burma VJ Burma VJ: Reporter i et Lukket Land Anders Høgsbro Østergaard  Denmark*
2010** La Danse La Danse – Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris Frederick Wiseman  France*
2010** The Most Dangerous Man in America The Most Dangerous Man in America Rick Goldsmith and Judith Ehrlich  United States*
2011 You Don't Like the Truth You Don't Like the Truth Luc Côté and Patricio Henríquez  Denmark
2012 Planet of Snall Dalpaengee eui byeol Seung-Jun Yi  Japan*
2013 The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear Manqana, romelic kvelafers gaaqrobs Tinatin Gurchiani  Georgia*
2014 Jasmine Jasmine Alain Ughetto  France
2015 France Is Our Mother Country La France est Notre Patrie Rithy Panh  Cambodia*
2016 A Family Affair A Family Affair Tom Fassaert  Netherlands
2017 Communion Komunia Anna Zamecka  Poland*
2018 The Distant Barking of Dogs Olegs krig Simon Lereng Wilmont  Sweden
2019 Cold Case Hammarskjöld Cold Case Hammarskjöld Mads Brügger  Denmark
  • * Denotes first win
  • ** Two winners at the same festival

References

  1. ^ a b c d Abdo, Humberto (2017). "It's All True 2017: A Conversation with Festival Founder Amir Labaki". International Documentary Association. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "It's All True - Edition 1996 (Press Release)" (PDF). É Tudo Verdade / It's All True (in Portuguese). 1996. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b "'Tudo Verdade' começa com 29 filmes" ['É Tudo Verdade' begins with 29 films]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 16 April 1996. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. ^ "It's All True – International Documentary Film Festival, São Paulo". German Films Guide. 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "'É Tudo Verdade' chega à 23ª edição e exibe documentários de mais de 20 países" ['É Tudo Verdade' reaches its 23rd edition and shows documentaries from more than 20 countries]. O Estado de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 13 April 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. ^ Cajueiro, Marcelo (April 16, 2015). "It's All True Festival Helps Fuel Doc Boom in Brazil".
  7. ^ "It's All True - International Documentary Film Festival". Wallony Bruxelles Images. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. ^ a b ""POLICE KILLING" AND "THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS" WIN IT'S ALL TRUE 2018 (English Press Release)" (PDF). É Tudo Verdade / It's All True. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b "DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT QUALIFYING FESTIVAL LIST" (PDF). Academy Awards. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  10. ^ It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey. University of California Press. 2007. pp. 1, 2. ISBN 978-0520242487.
  11. ^ "Documentários no CCBB" [Documentaries at CCBB] (PDF). Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). 12 April 1996. pp. 45, 52. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Festival internacional abre inscrições" [International film festival opens submissions]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 24 February 1996. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  13. ^ a b "It's All True - Edition 1997". É Tudo Verdade / It's All True (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Cineasta Marcel Ophuls vem ao Brasil" [Filmmaker Marcel Ophuls comes to Brazil]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 26 February 1997. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  15. ^ a b "'A Dor e a Compaixão' abre ciclo de Ophuls" ['The Sorrow and the Pity' opens Marcel Ophuls cycle]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 8 April 1997. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Debate discute o cinema documental" [Debate discusses documentary film]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 1 April 1998. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  17. ^ "Documentarista mostra que nem tudo é verdade" [Documentary filmmaker shows that not everything is true]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 27 March 1999. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  18. ^ "It's All True - Edition 2003". É Tudo Verdade / It's All True (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  19. ^ "It's All True - Edition 2020 (Press Release)" (PDF). É Tudo Verdade / It's All True (in Portuguese). 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  20. ^ "It's All True - Edition 2020 (English Press Release)" (PDF). É Tudo Verdade / It's All True. 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Filme sobre a vida de Prestes abre "É Tudo Verdade" no Rio" [A film about Luiz Carlos Prestes' life opens 'It's All True' in Rio]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 6 April 1997. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  22. ^ a b "It's All True - Edition 2019". É Tudo Verdade / It's All True (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  23. ^ a b "It's All Trueannounces the 2019 Festival winners (English Press Release)" (PDF). É Tudo Verdade / It's All True. 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.