Brazilian amateur cinema: history, discourses and practices (1926-1959)

Author(s)

Lila Silva Foster

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Comunicações e Artes (ECA/SBD)
• Defense date: 2016-09-22

Examining board members

Eduardo Victorio Morettin; Cristian da Silva Borges; Rubens Fernandes Junior; Rubens Luis Ribeiro Machado Junior; Arthur Autran Franco de Sá Neto

• Advisor: Eduardo Victorio Morettin

Abstract

The thesis \"Brazilian amateur cinema: history, discourses and practices (1926-1959)\" undertakes a historical investigation about the emergence of amateur filmmaking in Brazil through the analyses of documentary sources and films preserved in archives. A theme not yet developed by Brazilian film historiography, the first step of our research was to understand the constitution of the amateur field and its relationship with the cultural changes of modernity in the 19th and 20th century. The release of amateur film equipment in the consumer market in 1920 stands as an important mark in the amateur cinema field. This new consumer market allowed a diversity of film practices such home movies, amateur filmmaking in cinema clubs and artistic experimentation. These practices are the foundation of our analyses of the first years Brazilian cinema and of amateur films preserved in archives. The next step of our investigation is centered in the activities of amateur groups. The first evidence of this amateur culture are the amateur film columns of Cinearte magazine. The magazine witnesses the arrival of amateur film equipment in Brazil and the transformation it entailed in the cinematographic field. It is also a great source for the different forms of amateur practice and the specificity of the Brazilian context. The second moment of analyses concerns the activities of Foto-Cine Clube Bandeirante, starting in 1945. Our main source are the amateur columns published in Boletim Foto-Cine where we can gather information about the different competitions and film festivals organized by the club and the relationship of the cinema department with other cultural institutions. The debates about Brazilian modern photography and the work of photographers such as Thomaz Farkas are important guidelines for the identification of experimental activities within the club. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/09894-1 - Brazilian amateur cinema: history and film survey
• Grantee: Lila Silva Foster
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate