Birdwatchers (La terra degli uomini rossi, Italy/Brazil 2008), a striking and powerful film exposing the plight of a native Brazilian tribe and dramatizing its struggles to reclaim ancestral land from indifferent plantation owners, directed by Marco Bechis, opens Friday, October 16 on SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.

“At the edge of the imposing but dwindling forest in the southern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, a small group of Guaraní/Kaiowá Indians attempts to reclaim their ancestral lands by any means necessary. Forced to leave the reservation due to extreme poverty and suicide, the Guaraní are no longer willing to accept the authority of the wealthy white farmers who claim to own the land. An explosive tension develops as the Guaraní establish a makeshift settlement on the borders of a plantation, and the group’s apprentice shaman, Osvaldo, senses the presence of the evil spirit Anguè hovering at the edge of the forest. Osvaldo also encounters another danger in the local farmer’s daughter, whose interest in him is far from antagonistic. With Birdwatchers, director Marco Bechis subverts the usual conventions of films about native peoples by portraying his Guaraní protagonists as conflicted, spiritual individuals who have been forced into a corner by centuries of land grabs. Furious in its politics and its beauty, the film plays almost like The Grapes of Wrath by way of Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, while remaining startlingly original.” —Travis Miles, LAFF

Written by Bechis, Luiz Bolognesi. Photographed by Hélcio Alemão Nagamine. With Claudio Santamaria, Chiara Caselli, Matheus Nachtergaele, Leonardo Medeiros. In Guarani and Portuguese with English subtitles. (100 min, IFC Films)

For screeners and interviews contact hilary@sffs.org.
For photos and press materials visit: http://download.sffs.org/press/02_SFFS_Screen.

At the Sundance Kabuki all seats are reserved and an amenities fee is in effect for most shows. Tickets are available through the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas box office, at kiosks in the lobby and online at sundancecinemas.com/kabuki with print-at-home capability. San Francisco Film Society members receive discounted admission only to SFFS Screen programs and only at the box office, not online or at the lobby kiosks.

Now playing on SFFS Screen

The Beautiful Person Loosely based on a famous 17th-century French novel, Christophe Honoré’s new film tracks an ensemble of Parisian high school students as they navigate through the turbulent imbroglios of young love.

Coming soon to SFFS Screen

September 11: Tony Manero Set in 1978 Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship, Pablo Larraín’s drama focuses on a man whose obsession with John Travolta’s character from Saturday Night Fever reflects the troubled state of Chilean society at that time.

September 18: The Headless Woman Lucrecia Martel, a major figure in contemporary Argentine cinema, directs this complex and exquisite film about a bourgeois woman who may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident.

September 25: You, the Living Roy Andersson continues to display his unique take on humanity in this dryly humorous, surreal and unforgettable amalgamation of encounters and tableaux covering various facets of existence.

October 2: Oblivion Heddy Honigmann’s sharp, tender, funny stories of ordinary Peruvians reflecting on politics and governmental corruption are woven together in a documentary about pride and self-respect, glory long gone, love, art and politics.

October 9: The Wedding Song The Nazi occupation of Tunisia strains the bonds of friendship between a Muslim woman and a Sephardic Jewess who are both preparing for their marriages in Karin Albou’s second feature.

October 23: The Vanished Empire Karen Shakhnazarov’s coming-of-age drama, set in the 1970s, profiles a group of young Russians dealing with love in turbulent times. The main character, a callous youth, can be seen to represent Russia at this turning point in her history.

For full, complete and up-to-date information on all SFFS Screen programming, including buying tickets, visit sffs.org. Information and tickets are also available at sundancecinemas.com.

The San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating film and the moving image.
SFFS Screen, the innovative exhibition partnership with Sundance Cinemas, enables the Film Society to present its acclaimed film programs and events at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas year-round on a daily basis.

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