Inside the fires ravaging Brazils film community.
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(They are primarily stored at Cinematecas main complex in Vila Clementino.)
An un-digitized portion of Rochas library, Tempo Glauber, went up in smoke, too.
Its all too familiar.
Cinemateca has suffered four prior fires in 1957, 1969, 1982, and 2016.
Thus news of the July 29 fire has been met with outrage, but, sadly, not surprise.
It doesnt even feel like an accident.
The fired workers took to social media with the hashtag #SOSCinematecaBrasileira.
The government agreed to release a bid to recruit new management within two months of the firings.
It did so only on Saturday, July 30, the day after the fire.
The government approved the project, but so far only custodial work has recommenced.
Basic maintenance isnt enough.
And its not just fires that plague the collection.
Thats when the materials were moved from the lower floors to higher ground, where the 2021 fire struck.
I recall the tears of our professors over their materials, Dutra says.
This government acts by inertia, and preservation is never part of its audiovisual policies.
Brazils negligence in preservation unfortunately isnt an exception in Latin America.
As always, the film community wants money for production.
It cares NOTHING about preservation.
Meanwhile, Cinematecas Cultural Data Bank has been nonfunctional for a year.
Searches through the institutions online archives regularly lead to pages that dont work.
Labakis comment reflects the frustration of the wider film community, which sees no end to the institutions agony.
Contesting the governments open bid for Cinematecas new management is the next grave challenge.
Protests at the institution are reportedly being scheduled for this weekend, the one-year anniversary of Cinematecas shutdown.
The bid should be canceled.
It doesnt guarantee Cinematecas survival, Gervitz says.
It is a depository of our national memory, its our historical patronage.
Ahead of the 2022 presidential election, he feels a sense of urgency.
It is time to convert our indignation into concrete political action and to fight, he says.
We must get our oxygen back.
