The renowned development lab for fiction feature film projects, BrLab Features, will have a representation from the North of Brazil this year. Chamado da Floresta (Call of the Forest), a project by Amapá director and screenwriter Rayane Penha in partnership with the production company Leão do Norte, is among the 10 selected projects for the event, which will take place from October 1 to 7 in São Paulo.
Chamado da Floresta is set on a boat traveling along the Amazon River, where Inayá is transporting her mother’s body to be buried, but she needs the help of her father, a gold miner, whom she has not seen for many years. When they arrive in Rio das Almas, Inayá realizes that the place has been severely devastated. The challenges of gold mining pull her away from the purpose of her journey, but the desires of the enchanted spirits become increasingly evident in her. A tragedy involving her father will reveal that he is just another soldier of gold, another victim, like the land, the rivers, and the forest.
Rayane Penha directed the short film Utopia, which was the grand winner of the Olhar do Norte Film Festival in 2022 and a finalist at the New York International Women Film Festival. Leão do Norte is a production company based in Manaus, founded by Carlos Barbosa and Clemilson Farias. Their main work is the TV film Pés de Peixe.
The 14th edition of BrLab will take place thanks to co-sponsorship by the Ibermedia Program (@programa_ibermedia) and Projeto Paradiso (@projetoparadiso). The event also has the support of Spcine, Cinemateca Brasileira, Sociedade Amigos da Cinemateca, Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish Embassy in Brazil, the French Embassy in Brazil, Vitrine Filmes, and Instituto Moreira Salles. Projects participating in BrLab Features and BrLab Rough Cut from outside São Paulo and Brazil receive Ibermedia Scholarships for their participation, offered by the Ibermedia Program.
Cine Set: What does this selection by BrLab mean?
Rayane Penha: It’s a huge joy and recognition of our work and also of the narratives from the North region. For me, the most important thing is knowing that we have a qualified product, made by us and about us, that is part of one of the biggest script labs in Latin America.
Cine Set: How did the project come about?
Rayane Penha: The project has been in the works for four years. It started as a script for theater and then grew into a feature film. I started participating in other labs, and it began to take shape. I must highlight the importance of these spaces that were essential to its development, such as the Lab Negras Narrativas by APAN, the FRAPA Lab, and the Desde La Raiz screenwriting residency by Fundación Algo en Común in Colombia, which I participated in.
Cine Set: What are the next steps after BrLab?
Rayane Penha: We are in the final stages of project development. BrLab offers a great opportunity to connect with other producers and the industry. Our goal is to advance toward producing the film in the coming years. There is also the possibility of participating in other international labs, which we believe will greatly contribute to this process, as well as open up opportunities for international co-productions.
