September 25, 2004

Hollywood, Brazilian Style

Here is an interesting article about the Brazilian film industry. My observation has been that Brazilian movies have been getting progressively better over the past five years, an opinion shared by the author of the article.

The two films reflect the renaissance of the Brazilian film industry. The country is expected to produce 50 feature-length films this year -- the most since the 1970s and almost the double the number produced last year.

Interestingly enough, only recently has this rise in quality been reflected by an increase in Brazilian audiences.

"The Brazilian public likes films that have a mass appeal, not art-type films," said Steve Solot, the Motion Picture Association of America's vice president in charge of Latin America. "City of God wasn't much of a hit at first because a lot of people didn't want to see a movie about the slum that's just around the corner. But when it got the Oscar nomination, all that changed."

This reflects a curious aspect of Brazilian culture: the mentality that something is only quality if it comes from outside the country. Even the true superstars of Brazil are those who make it big in Europe or America--Pelé, Ayerton Senna, Tom Jobim, Carmen Miranda. Others do well in Brazil, but never achieve the status of Brazilian superstar because they never make it big in the "exterior".

This is a blessing and a curse for American missionaries. Many times we can gain an audience because we are "imported". Yet, it is hard to shake that "foreigner" status once an audience has been gained.

Posted by Andrew on September 25, 2004 10:33 AM.