Brazilian film industry's resurgence aided by foreign co-producers
Filmmakers will complete 90 productions this year, about a dozen partnered with U.S., Asian, Canadian and European producers.
Reporting from Sao Paulo, Brazil — Brazilian director Heitor Dhalia was delighted and profoundly relieved to finally see his movie "Drifting" screened this month. The completion of the film based partially on his childhood ended an emotionally grueling two-year gestation.
But Dhalia's $3.4-million-budget picture, which opens early next year, is also part and parcel of a co-production trend gathering steam in the Brazilian film industry. His movie was partnered with Universal Studios, one of the many foreign producers coming to Brazil to make deals.
The co-productions are a sign of the Brazilian film industry's growing prestige and its emergence from two decades in the financial doldrums. Once among the most active in Latin America, the nation's filmmaking industry was decimated by devaluations, hyperinflation and shifting government policies.
After making just two movies in 1991, Brazilian filmmakers will complete 90 productions this year, of which about a dozen will be partnered with U.S., Asian, Canadian and European producers, said Andre Sturm, chairman of Brazil Cinema, an industry association.
Foreign television and cable programmers are also striking deals here. HBO just produced and premiered its fourth Brazilian mini-series in three years, a 13-episode drama called "Alice" that was partnered with Gullane Films of Sao Paulo. The plot revolves around a country girl who comes to the big city -- Sao Paulo -- to attend her father's funeral.
"There is a resurgence of production going on," said Roberto Rios, vice president of HBO Latin America, which has 1.5 million subscribers in Brazil. The cable channel is currently developing five other series for eventual showing over its South American network spanning 27 countries. "Every investment we've made here has harvested results."
Rios added that growing cable penetration of Brazilian households, another sign of this country's expanding economy, is an attraction for the cable programmer. Currently only 5% of households are wired for cable TV, compared with 50% in Argentina, according to Fernando Fernandes, a media consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton in Sao Paulo.
Dhalia's producer O2 Films struck the deal with Universal in part by touting this country's tax breaks. A law that passed a decade ago allows producers to reinvest the taxes they owe in future film projects.
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