The 42nd Brasilia Festival of the Brazilian Cinema opened Tuesday with a screening of Bruno Barreto’s “Lula, O Filho do Brasil?” (Lula, the Son of Brazil), a biographical movie about President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The film festival runs through Nov. 24 and will show more than 300 films. An amount of 470,000 reais (about 275,000 U.S. dollars) will be given in prizes, among which 65,000 reais (18,800 dollars) will be awarded for digital short films.
Besides movie screenings, workshops and seminars will be held during the festival in Brasilia.
According to local press, 800 tickets had been given to federal officials for the opening of the festival, which is restricted to 1,200 guests.
“The president asked that all staff working with him should be invited. He wants waiters and secretaries to be in the session,” Silvestre Gorgulho, federal district secretary of culture, told local press.
However, President Lula himself will be unable to attend the premiere, since he is participating in the World Summit on Food Security in Rome, Italy.
Barreto, director of the movie, told local press that U.S. President Barack Obama had already expressed interest in watching the film.
