I almost lost my way. I almost dropped the ball. In the past three months, as I continued to exchange correspondence with the subjects of my documentary WHY BRAZIL, I questioned whether or not I was the person to tell the story of the changes being faced in Brazil. To tell what my characters are experiencing as the result of the upcoming World Cup and Olympics, and what I am learning about myself in this process. Why? Because I questioned who would be interested, and I questioned could I create a beat driven, and well-paced story about something I'm passionate about, that is informative, as well as creative.
WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED? In the past three months, the UPP progress (pacification, i.e. police occupation of favelas), the increase in foreign visas, and the issues of human rights that have been covered in the world press, and by Brazilian journalist, and has kept me glued to my computer. Though I struggle with learning the language, and not having the equipment that I'd like to have to tell this story, my challenges are dwarfed by the challenges that my characters face, on the ground in Brazil; and the people that keep coming into my life that are connected in some way to Brazil, and/or curious as I am about why so many people are moving there and accepting Brazil despite its corruption, and convoluted infrastructure. As one of my characters states "its time for Brazil to be known for more that Carnaval, sex, and beaches" and I believe the over 90 billion dollars of investment that is projected to flow into the country is motivated by more than just the upcoming sporting events.
COULD I CREATE...WELL-PACED STORY? Telling a story involves a identifying the protagonist(s), the antagonist, the protagonists' goals, the challenges, the possible vehicles for overcoming the challenges, and the outcome. I have protagonist, and the sub-plot of new expats settling in Brazil constantly and their aspirations and their motivations for wanting to achieve their goals. I have the antagonists: the FIFA committee, the government officials, and payola system and poverty, which challenge my protagonist with regard to benefiting from the World Cup and also the Olympics. And I must visually present the connections between the goals, the challenges/obstacles and the struggles my protagonist must over go through to surmount these obstacles.
WHY I'M PASSIONATE? The story of Why Brazil is personal, my goal is to tell how my characters find fortitude and focus on achieving their goals while I in fact do the same as a filmmaker. The challenge for me is to overcome the inaccessibility of my character's antagonists: to visually through a combination of one on one interviews and artfully constructed reportage of world news present the antagonist point of view, and find ways to interface, and act as a vehicle for possible conflict resolution for my protagonist. Again Why Brazil? its the people. There are wonderful people all over the world, that I have met as a flight attendant, but what has struck me, is that in a place that could give the most corrupt politicians lessons on corruption, people still fight, and thrive; and they manage to do so with an open, and forgiving nature, that allows them to appreciate the journey even more than the victory.
