Documentary Filmmaking in Contemporary Brazil
Cinematic Archives of the Present
Gustavo Procopio Furtado
Reviews and Awards
Winner of the 2020 Antonio Candido Prize for Best Book in the Humanities from the Brazil section of the Latin American Studies Association
"Highly recommended." -- D. West, CHOICE
"An exhilarating work, Gustavo Furtado's wide-ranging Documentary Filmmaking in Brazil, heralds a bright future for Brazilian film criticism. Furtado gives us fresh insights even about films whose meaning had presumably been exhaustively covered. Especially impressive is his sensitivity to the issues raised by indigenous media and 'first contact' films. The mobilization of theory for purposes of close analysis is simply brilliant." --Robert Stam, New York University
"Addressing both contemporary documentary production in Brazil and documentary cinema in general, Furtado uses the concept of the archive to explore the intersections of memory, representation and power. Skillfully weaving sophisticated theoretical arguments with contextual and detailed film analyses, the book is a pleasure to read. It makes a crucially significant intervention in Brazilian film studies and will also become an essential companion to any discussion of contemporary documentary cinema." --Ana Lopez, Tulane University
"This book is eminently political. It tackles documentary filmmaking as a way of interfering in and changing society. Furtado has devised a tremendously original and effective method of understanding documentary making in Brazil as the construction of a huge archive where memory, history and culture combine in order to provide a reliable programme for a better future. For the first time, in this book, indigenous production is given pride of place alongside consecrated masterpieces, such as Eduardo Coutinho's 20 Years Later, João Moreira Salles's Santiago, and Adirley Queirós' recent 'documentary sci-fi' Black Out, White In. With breathtaking erudition, attentive to both the detail and the broader picture, Furtado has given us a riveting and compelling vision of Brazil today. Brazilian politicians would have a lot to learn from it!" --Lúcia Nagib, Professor of Film, University of Reading
