CinemaGovernment Secretary of Culture Bolsonaro tried to sabotage Brazilian Oscar nomination

Renata Almeida MagalhãesPresident of Brazilian Cinema Academywas responsible for making public a regrettable episode in the history of Brazilian cinema. In an article written by her and published in O Globo newspaperthe president of the institution recalled the attempted interference by the Government Jair Bolsonaro in the selection of the film that would represent Brazil in the Oscar 2020.

According to the text, the Secretary of Culture attempted to change the conditions of the agreement between the government and the Academy with the aim of having more control over the commission that selects the representative of Brazilian cinema at the awards.

“For a long time, the nomination of foreign films to Oscar it was kind of a secondary thing, an industry party for American industry. It has already been done by Itamaratyfor the Embrafilme. With the creation of the Ministry of Culturein 1985, the task became solely a ministerial assignment,” he wrote Renata.

This model lasted until 2017, when the Ministry of Culture and the Academy They signed a technical cooperation partnership, meaning that the nomination of the national film was made by a committee made up mostly of filmmakers, but also with government participation. In 2020, the Government Bolsonaro tried to take control of the choosing process again.

The documentary of Petra Costa, Democracy in Vertigo (2019), which portrays the moment of political polarization in Brazil, would have been the reason, according to Renatathrough which the government tried to regain the power of choice, the film, however, had not been selected by the commission to represent Brazil in the award.

“The Secretary of Culture at the time, convinced that we had indicated Democracy in Vertigo in the Best International Film category, he wanted to change the rules of the agreement, ensuring that the government had the majority of votes.

“We tried to explain that it wasn’t true. Brazil that year nominated the Karim Aïnouz, The Invisible Life (2019). Democracy in Vertigonot without merit, competed in the Best Documentary Film category under the general rules of the Oscar (having been shown in American territory, for example), registered by Netflixproducer of the film. They didn’t understand,” he argued. Renata in the text.

To resolve the issue, the Brazilian Cinema Academy took the matter to the institution responsible for organizing the Oscarthe United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienceswho responded with a favorable opinion to the filmmakers, in addition to removing government representatives from the commission which, since 2021, has been made up only of members of the Brazilian Academy.