Cinema Thinks the World
Screening Dates
Free Admission

“A strange but delightful masterpiece of Brazilian cinema.”

Gustavo Furtavo, Senses of Cinema

Somewhere in the Amazon jungle, an old woman gives birth to a fully-grown man who becomes the (anti)hero of Joaquim Pedro de Andrade’s absurdist, satirical Cinema Novo classic. Macunaíma is Black at birth (Grande Otelo), but after a magical transformation turns him into a White man (Paulo José), he travels to the city and is afforded all the privileges of his new race. While Andrade’s contemporaries were noted for their raw, neorealism-inspired portraits of Brazil’s economic hardships, Macunaíma stands out for its vibrant tropical visuals and carnivalesque comedic sequences. Andrade’s work is no less politically subversive for being wildly entertaining, however. The film’s use of comedy, mythological tropes, and literary influences––the film is adapted from one of Brazil’s foundational literary texts––is a calculated tactic to avoid censorship from the country’s newly ascended military dictatorship. Macunaíma is a funhouse mirror held up to all the contradictions of Brazilian society, and its reflection is equally compelling today.

In Portuguese with English subtitles

This free screening is presented as part of ​“Cinema Thinks the World,” a partnership project between The University of British Columbia and The Cinematheque. After the film, there will be a short reception followed by a one-hour panel talk with audience discussion.

Panellists: Jon Beasley-Murray, William Brown, Alessandra Santose
Moderator: Chelsea Birks

Please note: Unclaimed tickets for complimentary screenings at The Cinematheque will be released 15 minutes before showtime. Please arrive early to guarantee your seat.

Media
Note

Jon Beasley-Murray is an associate professor of Spanish, Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, at UBC. He is the author of Posthegemony: Political Theory and Latin America (2010).

William Brown is a filmmaker and an assistant professor in Cinema Studies, Department of Theatre and Film, at UBC. He is the author of numerous books, including Infinite Ontologies of the Chthulustream: Posthumanism and Racial Capital in Contemporary Streaming Media (with David H. Fleming).

Alessandra Santos is an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at UBC. Her research area is in Latin American cinema and performance, and comparative studies in the hemispheric Americas. Her published work focuses on the concept of utopia in Latin American art and media.

Chelsea Birks works at the Centre for Community Engaged Learning at UBC, where she connects faculty and students with community organizations to work on real-world social issues. She was The Cinematheque’s Learning & Outreach director from 2020 to 2025, and holds a PhD in Film and Television Studies from the University of Glasgow.

Upcoming in this Series

  • Macunaima 1
  • Macunaíma
  • Brazil1969
  • Joaquim Pedro de Andrade
  • 104 DCP
  • NR
  • Cinema Thinks the World
  • Another Round 1
  • Another Round
  • Druk
  • Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands2020
  • Thomas Vinterberg
  • 116 DCP
  • NR
  • Cinema Thinks the World