São Paulo – Two films about Brazil were selected by the Project Viewfinder, of the Arab television channel Al Jazeera, and are to be broadcasted on Witness, a documentary show on the network’s English channel, as of the end of February. The film “Ticket to Paradise”, by Rogério Soares, from São Paulo, is about Haitian immigration in the country, and “Occupying Brazil”, by Chilean Daniel A. Rubio, approaches the homeless who take over empty buildings in São Paulo. Rubio was born in Chile, but has been living in the city of São Paulo for 15 years.

The films were chosen among 537 proposals sent to Project Viewfinder, which selects and sponsors the production of films about Latin America and then shows them on television. Al Jazeera first selected 11 documentaries, whose directors participated in a workshop with DocMontevideo, an Uruguayan organization in the segment, located in Montevideo. Then they chose eight projects: two from Brazil, two from Argentina, one from Cuba, one from Honduras, one from the Dominican Republic and Haiti and one from Uruguay. The film made in the Dominican Republic and Haiti is by a Brazilian director, Yara Costa, who lives in Haiti.

The films will be showed on Al Jazeera in English as of February 24 and shall be eight weeks in the broadcast programming. The film by Brazilian director Soares is to be shown on the first day. The film was made in Brasileia, city in the northern Brazilian state of Acre, where many Haitian immigrants arrive. They travel from Haiti to the Dominican Republic, from there on to Panama, Ecuador, Peru to finally arrive in the Brazilian state. In Brasileia they stay in an accommodation structure until they obtain their temporary or work visas.

This is the setting for Soares’ film, which tells the story of Damião, employee at the Acre Human Rights Office. According to the director, Damião is responsible, at the accommodation structure where the Haitians stay, for ensuring they pass the visa and security procedures. To show the reality of immigration, Soares tells the story of Damião as he meets Ricardo, a Haitian that spends three months in the place, helping Damião find work for his fellow countrymen. “The film ends when Ricardo finds a job and leaves for the South of Brazil,” says Soares.

The other documentary about Brazil, “Occupying Brazil”, shows the dramatic story of Isabela, a 23-year old young woman with three children she cannot keep because she is homeless. While she fights to find a home, her children have to stay with relatives. Isabela has been a part of the homeless movement Frente de Luta por Moradia (FLM) since she was 12 years old and is one of the occupiers of the empty buildings in the city of São Paulo. Isabela’s mother, says Rubio, is also part of the occupation movement and has managed to obtain a home.

As well as Isabela, the film by the Chilean director also focuses on the story of two people who work for the movement, André and Jaíra. The documentary captures the moment of an occupation, done in one night, and the daily lives of the homeless families. Most of the invaders, says Rubio, are women with children, who make between one and three minimum wages (roughly US$ 302.00 to US$ 906.00 by current exchange rates), and aren’t able to pay rent or installments with their income. So they take over empty buildings to pressure the government for housing solutions. The film shall be showed on Al Jazeera in English on April 14.

Rubio has worked for 20 years in movies, making independent documentaries as well as working for international television networks. In Brazil he worked for the television channel of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). Soares read Cinema Studies in England and currently lives in Canada, where he is working with film producer company Filmblanc. He has lived in many countries and worked as broadcast programming director at TV Escola, of the Ministry of Education, and contents director at television network Televisión America Latina (TAL). TAL is a partner of Al Jazeera in the project, and shall also show the documentaries later on.

The production of the films is followed by Al Jazeera professionals. Rubio says he really enjoyed the input given by the Arab television team. “I have always worked with international projects, but I live in Brazil, and this outside perspective is great,” he states, noting that they work bearing in mind that the documentary shall be seen in different countries. All documentaries start from personal stories to show a greater reality, whether local, regional, national or even international. “These are personal stories that normally don’t have much access to mass media,” says Soares, explaining that in the end it works as inspiration for other people.

Al Jazeera promotes Project Viewfinder every year. According to information in the network’s website, application for the project’s next edition shall be opening soon. More information may be found at http://ajeviewfinder.com/

*Translated by Silvia Lindsey

São Paulo – Seven years ago, Marilza Ramos, artist from the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, participated for the first time at Index, a furniture and decoration trade show in Dubai. She sold 38 pictures. Since then, trade shows have been her greatest showcase in the Arab world, but now, after her recent exhibit in Doha, Qatar, she has greater plans for the Middle East.

In 2011, during the Big 5 construction trade show, also in Dubai, Ramos met the businessman Mohamed Salem, from Doha. According to her, Salem works in many sectors and decided to invest also in the decoration segment. The artist’s picture exhibit at the Katara Gallery, in the Qatari capital city, in November last year, entirely organized by the entrepreneur, was their first joint project. The event was opened by the country’s minister of Culture, Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari.

“He is opening a gallery in Doha where I shall show my work. There shall be about 50 to 80 pieces in permanent exhibition and which may be sold,” reveals Ramos. The Brazilian artist also says Salem has a construction project for a great hotel in Qatar, which shall be in part decorated by her.

The pictures and panels by the artist have a wooden base and are decorated with elements such as crystals, aluminum, glass and mirrors. In 2007, when she exhibited at Index, through her company MZ Artes, Ramos noticed her art was very well accepted by buyers in the region. “I saw that my work had a lot to do with the Arab culture,” she says.

Seen that the Arabs appreciate her work, the artist is already exploiting further opportunities in the region. “We are also planning on opening a studio in Doha and a showroom in Dubai,” she says. Ramos is to set dates for opening the studio, showroom and gallery in May, when she will be participating at Index once again.

As well as these projects, Ramos says she will also decorate a luxury home in the Jumeirah residential complex in Dubai, and a palace in Saudi Arabia. Currently, her pictures are being sold to twelve countries, among them, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Porto Rico, Canada, United States and Spain.

*Translated by Silvia Lindsey