Introducing the 9 Amazonas Film Festival, to take place from Nov 3 - 9, 2012 in Manaus, Amazonas - Brazil.

1. AMAZONAS FILM FESTIVAL

2. the amazon region
Amazonas State: located in the northwestern
corner of the country. It is
the largest Brazilian State by area (1,577,820.2 sq.km)
and the 9th largest country subdivision in the world.
It borders with Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
Amazon rainforest: the vastest one of the
planet, 4,500,000 sq.km. First water supply of the
world, the biggest Reservoir regarding
bio-diversity.
Life on the Amazon region has two modes: the cheia –
the flooding season (between January and June), and
the seca –the dry season (July and December.).
Between one and the other, the level of the Amazon
river suffers a spectacular 15-meter oscilation,
provoking profound transformations on the landscape
and the lifestyle of the region.

3. the mighty river
The Meeting of the Waters (Encontro das
Águas in Portuguese), the point where the
river Negro and the river Solimões (known to
the world as Amazon river) meet, downstream
from Manaus. The reluctancy from both rivers
to join creates a beautiful natural phenomenon,
with two distinct streams of water flowing
along for miles and miles.
On the left, the river Negro, its dark-coffee
waters due to the presence of vegetation in
decay and high acidic levels. On the right, the
river Solimões, its muddy waters due to the
presence of Andean mountain sediments. The
river Negro is warmer than the Solimões; the
Solimões, in return, flows faster than the
Negro.

4. the amazonas state and manaus
Manaus: Capital of the Amazonas State., located on the
shores of the Rio Negro, in the heart of the jungle The
biggest city in the Amazon basin: 1,71 million inhabitants.
The apogee of Manaus came in the 19th century, during
the height of the rubber boom when the Brazilian
monopoly on rubber made Manaus one of the richest
cities on earth., that even had street lights and trams
before most of Europe.
Sumptuous architectural monuments as the Theater
Amazonas -the event’s flagship venue were built during
Manaus belle-epoque. It was this opulent building hat
inspired Werner Herzog to make the maddest film of his
career, Fitzcarraldo.
Manaus: Free Trade Zone: Created as an area of free
commerce to develop the Central Amazon, the free trade
zone of Manaus is a complex of intense commercial and
industrial activities, which allows it to be the third
industrial center of the country, behind São Paulo and Rio
de Janeiro.

5. about the festival
The Amazonas Film Festival ranks among the world’s
most unique film festivals. It’s an annual gathering for
Brazilian cinema enthusiasts, film industry insiders,
international celebrities, filmmakers and critics.
Since its foundation in 2004, as an initiative of
Government of the Amazonas State, the festival has
grown into a sevenday international educational event
celebrating art and film, set amongst the beauty of
largest reserve of biodiversity on the planet - the
Amazon rainforest-.
The Festival’s longstanding commitment is to join
filmmakers, local audiences and film connoisseurs
together to experience and enjoy great cinema, while
promoting the Amazonas state as a film location and
production hotspot, through the Amazonas Film
Commission.

6. festival program
In this year’s Festival main program, there are 3 competitive
sections:
1) International feature Competition: 8 feature films from
around the globe compete for the “Vôo na Floresta” Trophy.
2) National Short Film Competition
3) Competition for digital shorts produced in the Amazonas
state
There are also various non-competitive programs, where a a
diverse array of both international and Brazilian films are
showcased.
Also in the festival’s lineup for the seventh consecutive year,
the Screenwriters Contest, aimed for national scriptwriters
Focused on the continuing education of local audiences and
emergent filmmakers, a series of seminars and panels ranging
from cinema to culture to nature, are currently being
organised, all with open access.

7. Soledad Villamil
Nelson Pereira dos Santos
Beth Faria
festival guests

8. Maria Fernada Candido
Claude Lelouch
Marina Person
Sir Alan Parker
Thalma de Freitas

9. festival venues

10. the festival experience

11. Manaus
Rio Negro Palace

12. the amazon adventure

13. For further information, please contact
INTERNATIONAL PRESS COORDINATOR,
patricia martin:
patriciamartin@intermediarte.org