Held by the Government of Goiás, the festival will have as its theme the Cerrado and Amazon biomes and will feature competitive exhibitions, diverse cultural and training programming, tributes and major musical shows
From June 13th to 18th, the city of Goiás will host the 24th edition of the International Environmental Film and Video Festival (FICA), which will have the theme Cerrado and Amazon: Two Territories, One Future. The event will feature a varied program, including competitive exhibitions, short courses, workshops and film laboratories, special film sessions, premieres, tributes, conferences, debate tables, conversation circles, a multi-ethnic tent and a meeting of film schools. Also, an extensive cultural program, including local and national artists such as Maria Rita, Criolo and Orquestra Filarmônica de Goiás together with Roberto Menescal and Wanda Sá.
FICA is carried out by the Government of Goiás, through the State Secretariat for Culture (Secult), co-organized by the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), through the Educational Radio and Television Foundation (FRTVE). The event also has a partnership with the State Secretariat for Resumption, Goiás Social, State University of Goiás (UEG), Federal Institute of Goiás (IFG), Social Service of Commerce (Sesc) and City Hall of the city of Goiás.
The theme of FICA 2023 deals with two biomes and two territories that are umbilically connected and share infinite and complex processes in their climatic and biogeochemical cycles. Therefore, changes in land use in the Cerrado affect the Amazon and the integrity of its ecosystems. In a very direct way, changes in climate seasonality tend to affect the water cycle in the Cerrado and its retention capacity to supply the three large Brazilian basins. What happens to the Cerrado will radically affect the Amazon and vice versa.
Exhibitions, films and musical shows
National and international short and feature films will compete in three categories at the 24th FICA. For the Washington Novaes International Exhibition, the Festival's main event, six feature films and eight short films were selected, six foreign films and eight Brazilian films, including three productions from Goiás. The Goiano Cinema Exhibition, which will be the stage for the launch of short films from Goiás and the revelation of new talents in audiovisual production, will show 14 films. And to top it off, the Becos da Minha Terra Exhibition, which showcases productions from the city of Goiás, will feature ten works.
Furthermore, one of the winning films at this year's Cannes Film Festival will have its Brazilian premiere at FICA. This is the feature film A Flor de Buriti, by Portuguese João Salaviza and Brazilian Renée Nader, which portrays the resistance of the Krahô people, in the north of Tocantins, which will be shown during a special session, on the 17th, at 8 pm. Also worth mentioning is the film “Mari Hi – A Árvore dos Sonhos”, which will be shown in the special opening session, on the 13th, at 6:30 pm, which is directed by the indigenous Morzaniel Iramari Yanomami.
One of the attractions of FICA are the musical shows by nationally and internationally renowned artists. The highlights of this edition are the singer Maria Rita, who will perform on the 16th (Friday); when Banda Madá from Goiás will also perform. Saturday night will be livened up by a Criolo show, but before that there will be a performance by singer Maduli. On Sunday it is the turn of Maria Eugênia, Ricardo Leão and Luiz Chaffin to open the closing night performances. Afterwards, the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra promises a special performance, which will feature the participation of musician Roberto Menescal and singer Wanda Sá.
Participation by João Moreira Salles
Documentary filmmaker and writer João Moreira Salles is also a confirmed presence at FICA 2023. He will participate in the conversation Arrabalde: Brasil e Amazônia, on the 17th, at 10:30 am, at Cineteatro São Joaquim, when he will talk about the Amazon, based on an experience of six months living in the forest, in the state of Pará, which resulted in the book Arrabalde – Em Busca da Amazônia, released in December last year, by Companhia das Letras.
During the activity, he will talk about the Amazon and, afterwards, he will participate in a chat, which will be led by filmmaker Pedro Novaes, FICA's artistic coordinator. It is the first time that Salles participates in FICA.
Tributes
During the opening ceremony of the Festival, on the 13th, a tribute will be paid to Brazilian indigenous man Bruno Araújo and British journalist Dom Phillips, murdered on June 5, 2022, during a trip through Vale do Javari, the second largest indigenous land in Brazil, in the extreme west of Amazonas. On the occasion, videos showing the honorees will be shown and a letter written by anthropologist Beatriz de Almeida Matos, widow of Bruno Pereira, who is also director of the Department of Territorial Protection and Isolated Indigenous Peoples of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, will be read.
The plastic artist and professor at the Federal University of Goiás Carlos Sena is one of the honorees of FICA 2023. The sculpture São Pedro Atendei das Nossas Preces was chosen to illustrate the visual identity of FICA 2023. The work – which dialogues with the environmental theme, as addresses the issue of water, scarcity and its social importance – it belongs to the collection of the Centro Cultural Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG) and was part of the artist's solo exhibition held in 2004, at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Goiás.
During the closing ceremony of the Festival, on the 18th, a symbolic FICA trophy will be handed over to Chico Macedo, who is a machinist and head of cinema machinery. With around 25 years of experience in audiovisual, he participated in practically all productions in the resumption of cinema made in Goiás, starting in 2000.
Streaming platform
The 24th edition of the International Environmental Cinema and Video Festival (FICA) brings something new for moviegoers. The event will feature a streaming platform through which people from all over the world will be able to watch and vote for the films in the competitive exhibition.
Access is free through the website https://ficatv.com.br/. Films awarded in previous editions of the festival are available on the platform and the productions selected for this year's event will be released on June 13th, at the opening of FICA 2023.
UEG DOES NOT STAY
The State University of Goiás will also be present at the 24th edition of the International Environmental Cinema and Video Festival with the 12th SAU – UEG Audiovisual Cinema Week and the 2nd EECBC. The program includes several panels, conferences, tables and tributes that will take place on the 14th, 15th and 16th of June within FICA. The closing will take place on Friday, June 16th, at 6 pm. The complete program can be accessed on the website: https://www.ueg.br/sau/conteudo/20646_programacao_. There will also be a Multiethnic Tent offering courses, workshops and debates related to the environmental area.
Caption: Department of Culture – Government of Goiás
