Jean-Paul Pelissier/ReutersRodrigo Fonseca, Darcy Ribeiro School of CinemaWith more than 338,000 tickets sold, more than $1 million in box office, and two months of sold-out screenings, the Brazilian film Aquarius is a megahit by Latin American independent cinema standards. Along the way, this thriller touches on issues of economic inequality, race, gender, family, and tradition.Aquarius was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (the first Brazilian film to compete for top prize since 2008), and praised by Brazilian and international critics. But it took a lot of fighting and increased the Brazilian film association's antipathy towards Aquarius. In the past 20 years, other Brazilian films whose maturity ratings raised controversy were Up Against Them All (2004), by Roberto Moreira, and Cat's Cradle (2002), by Alexander Stockler. Aquarius has opened a window to the world for Brazilian film, confirming the old showbiz adage: there really is no such thing as bad publicity.

Source: Huffington Post November 03, 2016 11:40 UTC