The Island + Stolen Dreams

A ilha (The Island)
D: Alê Camargo, BR 2009, 9 min, English subtitles
“A Ilha“ tells the story of Edu, a young man who suddenly finds himself on a traffic island in a big city and can’t get off it because of the heavy traffic. The film is a scurrilous parody of the challenges of living (surviving) in a big city.

Sonhos roubados (Stolen Dreams)
D: Sandra Werneck, BR 2009, 85 min, English subtitles
“Sonhos Roubados“ is a poetic and sensitively told story about three girls who grow up in one of the slums on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Broken families, teenage pregnancies and lack of money are the daily reality here and prostitution appears to be the only way out for them. Nevertheless, Jessica, Daiane and Sabrina live their life with a great sense of humor. They want to love, have fun and dream of the future. Director Sandra Werneck, who has also made a documentary about “Teen Mothers“, has drawn a moving and intimate portrait of these young women without ever condemning her heroines.

Sandra Werneck (* 1951 in Rio de Janeiro) has made many award-winning, socially critical short and documentary films. In addition to the major international success of films such as “Das kleine Buch der Liebe“ (1997), she also made the biopic “Cazuza – O Tempo Nao Pára“ (Cazuza: Time Doesn't Stop) about the rock singer Cazuza, one of the most successful Brazilian films in the last decade, with 3 million viewers in Brazil alone. She is also known for her romantic comedies. “Sonhos Roubados” (Stolen Dreams, 2009) represented a return to Werneck’s socio-political approach.