BEYOND: The fourth amigo

He continues: “We believe in good films. We don’t believe in adjectives, like women’s films or gay films or American films versus British films. We just make movies. We try to make good movies. That doesn’t happen always, obviously. But it’s not about nationalities or stuff like that.”

Writing off the criticism from his compatriots as “jealousy,” he observes: “I actually believe the only country in the world that forgives success is the U.S. Because it’s all about that, competition and being successful. In a country like Mexico, where we don’t have that many role models in terms of success, people identify much more with the underdog or the loser.”

The reel Brazil

Documentary lovers have a good weekend ahead of them. The Oscar-nominated “The Garden” opens at area theaters (see review at right). And the Embassy of Brazil and the Smithsonian Latino Center are presenting the film festival Il Reel Time Brazil today through Sunday.

The minifest comprises five documentaries that highlight Brazilian culture through the stories of some of its icons. Three of the films have never been seen in the U.S., while the other two are making their District debut. The opening-night film is “Palavra (en) cantada” (“The Enchanted Word”), winner of the best-doc award at last year’s Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival. It looks at how the work of singers, songwriters and poets can feed on one another.

The festival is free and includes appearances by directors and special guests. The opening-night film will be shown at the Hirshhorn Museum, while the rest will be screened at the Greenberg Theater at 4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW. A schedule can be found at www.brasilemb.org.