Brazilica organisers Liverpool Carnival Company are delighted to announce that as part of this year’s festival they will be introducing a standalone film festival to the programme of events.

Building on the success of the film screenings in previous years, organisers will be taking the programme to another level for 2015 with Brazilica Film Festival in association with Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill.

Twelve films celebrating Brazilian life and culture will be screened at various venues across the city between Wed 1 – Sun 19 July, with the majority of films free to attend.

The whole film spectrum will be covered with everything from comedy and drama features as well as some of the very best Brazilian documentaries and biographies.

Opening the Film Festival is the documentary, Looking for Rio, on Wed 1 July at The Brink.   Following this epic are many more films not to be missed.  Lovers of samba music will not want to miss the music documentary O Samba on Tuesday 7 July at FACT in which composer and singer Martinho da Vila guides audiences through the world of Samba showing that it cannot be reduced simply to dance and lascivious hip movements but is also word, language, text, lyrics and simply said a way of life.

Other documentaries throughout the festival include Waste Land (Lixo Extraordinário) on Wednesday 8 July at A Small Cinema then Cidade Cinza (Grey City) on Wednesday 15 July at FACT which documents a new way of graffiti painting born in Sao Paulo.

There is also a double bill of drama starting with Clenched Fists (Com Os Punhos Cerrados) on Thursday 2 July at Brazilica Barracão which shows Eugenio, Joaquim and João’s hunger for freedom and revolution.

Then on Thu 9 July Oscar-nominated City of God (Cidade de Deus) will be screened at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church followed by City of God 10 Years Later (Cidade De Deus 10 Anos Depois) on Monday 13 July at Frederiks.

Next on the line-up is a double dose of comedy capers. Firstly, the charming comedy-drama The Ballroom (Chega de Saudade) on Sunday 5 July at Brazilica Barracão then the family comedy Cine Holliúdy on Sunday 12 July at Brazilica Barracão which centres around storyteller and kung fu movie maniac Francisgleydisson.

Two musical movie classics will also be screened at the festival including That Night in Rio on Saturday 11 July at the Museum of Liverpool.  Then back to St Luke’s Bombed Out Church for the 1933 Flying Down to Rio on Tuesday 14 July. In this musical romance starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, choreographer and musician Fred Ayers labours to help his friend and band leader Roger Bond romance gorgeous Brazilian Belinha De Rezende.

Closing the Film Festival on Sunday 19 July is the exciting crime adventure Trash showing at The Brink. Set in Brazil, three kids who make a discovery in a garbage dump soon find themselves on the run from the police and trying to right a terrible wrong.

There will also be a special Graffiti Art Exhibition at FACT running throughout the festival from Wednesday 1 – Sunday 19 July which compliments the screening of Cidade Cinza. Inspired by the work of graffiti artists Os Gemeos, Cranio and others, the exhibition presents the style of graffiti shown in the documentary that has made the bohemian suburb of Vila Madalena in Sao Paulo a tourist attraction, and brought some of the artist’s worldwide fame.

Film Festival Programmer Moulay Drissi said:

“We are very proud and excited to build upon the success of the previous year’s film programme and to make it more accessible to a wider audience and we are delighted to announce an enhanced and eclectic program of films.  We are partnering with many local film venues where the sharing and exchanging of thoughts and experience is valued. We have been working tirelessly over many months to make Brazilica happen and the new film festival is an exciting addition to the programme.”

Brazilica Film Festival is brought in association with Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill which is based in Exchange Flags in Liverpool City Centre.

Tomas Maunier, Sales and Marketing Director at Fazenda said:

“We are very happy to be part of the first Brazilica Film Festival. When the opportunity was presented to us we were so excited to be part of this project. We see this as an opportunity to bring to the British public the passion that we have for our art. Brazil is much more than just football and samba. We are very proud that many people will be able to understand our roots and enjoy the creativity of our artists.”

So grab your popcorn, take your seat and enjoy a Brazil-iant evening at the movies with these fantastic additions to this year’s jam-packed programme of events. With further music and event announcements to come, 2015 is certain to be the best Brazilica Festival ever.

For further information on the film festival visit www.brazilicafestival.co.uk/brazilica-film-festival or follow on www.facebook.com/brazilicafilmfest  or twitter @BrazilicaFilm

Keep up to date with all Brazilica Festival activity at www.brazilicafestival.co.uk ; www.facebook.com/brazilicafestival and on Twitter @BrazilicaFest