Brazil, 18th century. The colony of Portugal endures a decline in gold production. A Portuguese minority rules over a corrupt and autocratic society. Joaquim is an efficient soldier, famous for capturing gold smugglers. While waiting for his promotion to Lieutenant, he leaves for a risky mission in search of new gold mines - the only way to buy the freedom of Blackie, a slave he is in love with. Inspired by the true story of Tiradentes, the first leader of the Brazilian revolutionary movement.

Joaquim

A film that has waiting as its theme, registering it in its most varied manifestations. The waiting in a queue, the mystical waiting, the waiting for an actor to go on stage, the anguishing waiting for sleep, the waiting for hormonal effects in a gender identity adjustment. The time of waiting is confused with the time of life itself, in a world in which we are unlearning how to wait.

Espera

“Just like cinema, friendship is a sculpture in time,” says Cao Guimarães. The people the Brazilian artist and filmmaker has maintained relationships with over decades have, like him, dedicated their lives to the arts. This means that the line between film and friendship is sometimes blurred. He notices this when he and his regular cameraman set out on a road trip lasting three days and nights, from Belo Horizonte to Montevideo. But the overlap between art and life becomes even more apparent when the COVID pandemic makes physical meetings impossible and all contact takes place artificially on screens.

Friendship

Santino

Amizade

On the tranquil island of Paquetá, in Guanabara Bay, northwest of the city of Rio de Janeiro, someone is relaxing on the shore beside the rocks. Intimate telephone conversations contrast against news reports about the war in Ukraine, which is taking place simultaneously on a different plane.