Coari is on the unfortunate list of 61 cities in the interior of Amazonas without movie theaters—only Itacoatiara enjoys such a privilege. This is despite the region’s expected wealth from gas and oil exploration. To help fill this gap, the Associação de Cineclubistas e Documentaristas do Amazonas (Association of Film Clubbers and Documentarians of Amazonas), in partnership with Maroaga Cultural, is running the “Filme Escola Coari” workshop.
According to Heraldo Daniel, the director and head of the initiative, the program included both practical and theoretical cinema classes, divided into three modules: Screenwriting, Audiovisual Production, and Filming and Editing.
In addition to the creator of the project, Rafael Ramos (Manaus Hot City) and Fernando Crispim also taught the classes, which were held at the library of the Federal University of Amazonas for 20 students. The students will participate in the production of three short films about local legends in documentary format, as well as a feature film titled A Rainha do Solimões.
“Coari is buzzing with cultural events. The students are very creative. We had an animation class previously, organized by ACDA, and it was a success. Our goal is to train local community members and help recover the history and culture of the town, as well as contribute to the development of audiovisual production in the interior of Amazonas,” said Heraldo.
Heraldo hopes that the project will lead to future endeavors, including a film festival in the style of the Galo da Serra festival, which takes place in Presidente Figueiredo.
