É Tudo Verdade / It's All True

If It’s All True 2020 seemed to be the Covid-19 festival, the 26th edition is the second of what we might call the Pandemic era. The worst health tragedy in Brazilian history, the coronavirus death toll has already surpassed that of the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, and there isn’t any end in sight. With each life lost, every family plunged into mourning, we can only reaffirm that the grief belongs to each and all. W. H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” has become something of a collective daily prayer, even if only symbolically, as in isolation we can but shuffle along in a virtual cortege while we pray for the clocks to stop.

Faced with this forced reinvention of our routines, with the communal pleasure of the cinema theater largely off the table, festivals have had to get rid of their convivial essence, but remained true to their social and cultural mission by re-engineering themselves in their own ways. Many festivals, including It’s All True, have turned to streaming in a bid to honor their commitment to showcasing the cream of the year’s cinematic crop, foster debate, and offer the public a privileged window—albeit of another sort—onto the world.

Split into two stages in 2020, It’s All True is proud to have drawn a record 116,000 viewers nationwide last year. A resounding achievement internationally too, It’s All True was among the twenty-one homologous events worldwide included on the expressway list for the Oscars. Another milestone was its pioneering presence among the Cannes partner festivals organizing the exceptional online version of Marché du Film’s Cannes Docs.

The larger the public and the recognition, the greater the responsibility. Helping us shoulder that is the power of yet-another first-rate crop of documentaries, thanks to the talent and determination of filmmakers from Brazil and around the world. The selection for It’s All True 2021 is living testimony to the fact that not even the most nefarious virus can annul the power of cinema. The vigor of the competitive shows and special programs leaves no doubt about that.

We thank all the directors, producers, crews, and distributors who have, in these dark times, entrusted the festival with the privilege of debuting their works on the festival circuit. Equally immense gratitude goes to the sponsors, supporters, and partners who have honored us once again with their confidence that we can bring off an event that does justice to the excellence and diversity of nonfiction audiovisual filmmaking under such somber circumstances.

An excellence that resides, too, in the indelible mark left by the work of the photographer and documentarist Maureen Bisilliat, celebrated in the picture that graces the cover of this catalog. We honour not only her 90th birthday, but the power and originality of her vast output, rendered in a range of formats. Brazilian by choice, her passion continues to open our eyes to a Brazil that was hitherto invisible.

Turning 90 next August, Ruy Guerra is another Brazilian by option (or “addiction,” as he says himself) whose multiplicity of talents has enchanted and expanded our cultural scene for over six decades. A giant of the last century and a quarter of cinema (The Guns, Erendira, Turbulence), a master who inspired generations the world over, Guerra channeled his customary restlessness into his occasional forays into documentary, especially so when helping to lay the foundations for an autonomous cinema industry in his native Mozambique, shortly after Independence. Being able to see and hear him is one of the greatest privileges of the present edition.

Every documentary film festival reflects, to some degree, the legacy of the French filmmaker Chris Marker (1922–2012). So nothing could be more natural than to underline that debt in the centenary of his birth. A special show presents unanimous classics and rare treats that shed light on his formation and influence. In partnership with Itaú Cultural, the 18th International Documentary Conference delves into his life and work, including his strong ties with Latin America.

You don’t have to wait for milestone dates to pay tribute to Caetano Veloso, who turns 80 in 2022. The fact that film was his initial vocation is justification enough to explore his cinematographic persona, as we start to do in a cycle of documentaries on Spcine Play and other platforms. But what really runs through this show is a debt of gratitude—personal, certainly, but also civic.

During the pandemic, Veloso has been much more than the soundtrack to our angst-ridden pain and solitude. He has, above all, been a reliable companion in uncertain hours: whether through the homely posts of Paula Lavigne; the timely reconstitution of his villainous arrest during the dictatorship in Renato Terra and Ricardo Calil’s Narcissus Off Duty; or the two emergency shows streamed during 2020, genuine pagan masses that brought us together in isolation and helped us reconcile with the soul of a debased nation. So while Auden hushed the pianos, Caetano Veloso’s guitar has wept softly alongside us.

To look back over his life and career is to reconnect with the hard concrete cinema of contemporary Brazilian history—and our own lives. And why not?

Stay safe—and have a great festival!