about the team . . . . . . . . . 1

w e k n ow to o m uc h
ab o ut re l e van t t h i n g s
praia
a d o c um e n tary by
g ui l h e rm e b. h o f f m an n
EDITED BY: ISABEL CASTRO, EDT.
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SOUND BY: GUILHERME B. HOFFMANN | SOUND EDITED AND MIXED BY: VINICIUS
LEAL, AUDIORAMA FILMES | COLOR CORRECTION BY: JULIANA MUNIZ | EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY:
MARTA NÓBREGA, LAURA CASTRO E RENATA PERALVA, CRIA PRODUÇÕES ARTÍSTICAS
DISTRIBUTION BY: FÊNIX DISTRIBUIDORA DE FILMES | 2016
GUILHERMEHOFFMANN.COM/PRAIA
patrocínio
produção
distribuição
DISTRIBUIDORA DE FILMES
praia
1. synopsis and trailer . . . . . 03
2. production notes . . . . . . . . . 05
3. about the film . . . . . . . . . . . 07
4. director’s statement . . . . . . 10
5. about the team . . . . . . . . . 12
6. contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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1. synopsis
“Praia” is essentially an observational film that paints a unique portrait of early 21st
century Copacabana Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Between 2014 and 2016, Guilherme B. Hoffmann filmed day-to-day life on one of the world’s most famous beaches
as a one-man team, recording everyday conversations uttered by an assortment of
visitors to special celebrations like the World Cup and New Year’s Eve. This period
was marked by a major political crisis in Brazil that made itself known even in moments of leisure. Inspired by the premise, “we know too much about relevant things”
(Giovanni Levi), the film depicts ordinary people as they share this dynamic and beautiful public space.
PRAIA - Trailer 1
PRAIA - World Cup Excerpt (password: praia)
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2. production notes
Documentary
Running time: 79’
Format: DCP
Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Sound: 5.1 e 2.0
Completion date: September 2016
Languages: Portuguese, English, Korean and German
Sponsorship: Prefeitura do Rio and Multiterminais
the team
Directed by Guilherme B. Hoffmann
Cinematography and sound: Guilherme B. Hoffmann
Film Editing: Isabel Castro, edt.
Sound editing and mixing: Vinicius Leal, Audiorama Filmes
Color Grading: Juliana Muniz
Executive Production: Marta Nóbrega, Laura Castro e Renata Peralva
Production: Cria Produções Artísticas
Distribution: Fênix Distribuidora de Filmes
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3. about the film
“Praia” is essentially an observational film that paints a unique portrait of early 21st century Copacabana
Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
The film begins with a lively kick-off, celebrating New Year’s Eve in Copacabana, with the hope of capturing some piece of this fascinating and powerful moment, no matter how small. Night passes and day
dawns brightly. Some people are sleeping, others take dips in the ocean, a man sets up his tent to begin
his workday. The documentary’s narrative, composed as a single surreal day, is actually condensed from
two years of filming. By the end of the day, the very last chairs and beach umbrellas are collected as night
falls on the sands in Rio de Janeiro. Fireworks can be heard. A new year approaches.
Throughout the film, we observe the conversations of numerous beachgoers as we listen to groups of
friends, families, couples, workers, Brazilians, foreigners, men, women, blacks and whites. The observation of these everyday conversations is a key component of the film, according to the notion of direct cinema. This documentary approach is characterized by minimal interference on the part of the filmmaker,
who himself is an observer of the world around him.
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The camera’s intrusion always affects reality in some way, a fact this documentary does not even attempt
to ignore. The film by Guilherme B. Hoffmann makes use of fixed and frontal shots that create a sort of
stage on which the characters invent performances for themselves. Participants talk about a variety of
subjects (like family relationships, travel, cultural issues, soccer and politics) in long shots that through
a parallel montage form chains of fluidly-linked topics. But even more important to the film than the issues themselves is the observation of people and their gestures, the space and its tensions. The beach is a
place for small talk and these irrelevant conversations are vital to the documentary. “We know too much
about relevant things,” Italian historian Giovanni Levi once said in a speech in Brazil. The quote serves as
an inspiring premise for the film.
One particularly notable moment in “Praia” is the 2014 World Cup. It presented an extraordinary opportunity that brought people from all over the world together in a massive, popular and controversial party
on Copacabana Beach.
Despite being a symbol of Rio de Janeiro and part of the city’s daily life, Copacabana Beach has been little explored through documentaries or extended observation and even less the subject of calm reflection.
From this strategic approach, the film seeks to escape clichéd representations of the beach and instead
paint a complex portrait of the space in its current context. The documentary strives to be, among other
things, a document of the time.
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4. director’s statement | the story behind “Praia”
In 2012, after four years of filming wonderful strangers in the subways of Paris, I moved to Rio de Janeiro.
As I was temporarily housed in the neighborhood of Copacabana, the nearby beach immediately offered
itself up as an irresistible locus for my next project. I had discovered in the making of “Metro” that filming on my own poses a huge challenge. Nevertheless, the practice offers great advantages. Being alone
is liberating, both for me and for the strangers I approach - or who approach me. As I thought about the
project, I decided to try something simple: in direct cinema style, I recorded and filmed people talking, as
if I were not there. During the two years of production, no character was filmed more than once. My wanderings along the beach forged ephemeral encounters that have resulted in the cataloguing of numerous
everyday conversations. By juxtaposing long shots of these conversations through parallel editing, I hope
to build a sincere portrait of a space in time that from minimal fragments of life can open windows to our
current society.
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5. about the team
GUILHERME B. HOFFMANN (DIRECTOR) Born in São Paulo in 1980, Guilherme B. Hoffmann holds a
master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from the University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis. His
first feature film, the documentary “Metro” (2012), premiered in Brazil at the São Paulo International Film
Festival and was selected for several festivals around the world, including the Festival de Cine de Bogotá,
the London International Documentary Festival and the Astra International Film Festival. His work as a
documentary filmmaker stems from his interest in interacting with strangers through situations he creates or enters into to communicate with others. From 2011 and 2015, Hoffmann developed an audiovisual
workshop for children at a sociocultural center in the Paris suburbs and at a public school in Rio de Janeiro’s Caju community.
Guilherme B. Hoffmann’s filmography:
2012: “Metro”, documentary, 70 min
ISABEL CASTRO (EDITOR) Since 2005, Isabel Castro has worked as a documentary film editor. Among
her recent works are the documentary feature films: “Iramaya” (directed by Carolina Benjamin, 2016 – in
process), “A Cinema Film” (directed by Walter Carvalho, 2015), “A Dance Film” (directed by Carmen Luz,
2013) and “Metro” (directed by Guilherme B. Hoffmann, 2012). She recently edited the documentary series
“Third Signal” and “The great interviews of Pasquim” for Brazilian television. Castro holds a master’s degree in cinema from University of Paris III - Sorbonne Nouvelle and is currently completing her PhD at
the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Sorbonne Nouvelle.
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CRIA PRODUÇÕES ARTÍSTICAS has worked for over 10 years in cultural productions in Brazil, focusing
on theater. In 2008, the company was nominated for the Association of Theater Producers of Rio de Janeiro (APTR) award for best producer. Since 2005, the company has expanded its activities into the realm of
audiovisual, cultural heritage and music. In cinema, Cria was responsible for the four-part series of documentaries about descendants of the last slaves in Rio de Janeiro: “Memories of Captivity” (2005), “Jongos,
Calangos and Folias” (2007), “Verses and Cudgels” (2009) and “A Present Past” (2011). In 2012, it produced
“Metro,” by Guilherme B. Hoffmann, in association with Paris 8 University. “Metro” has been exhibited in
several festivals and screenings in Brazil, the United States, Colombia, Belize, Romania and England. In
2013, Cria (formerly known as JLM) produced the play “To Our Children,” now being adapted as a feature
film directed by Maria de Medeiros. Filming is set to begin in December 2016.
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6. contact
CRIA PRODUÇÕES ARTÍSTICAS (PRODUCTION)
[email protected]
GUILHERME B. HOFFMANN (DIRECTOR)
[email protected]
FILM’S WEBSITE
guilhermehoffmann.com/praia
FÊNIX DISTRIBUIDORA DE FILMES (WORLDWIDE SALES)
[email protected]
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praia
A DOCUMENTARY BY: GUILHERME B. HOFFMANN | EDITED BY: ISABEL CASTRO, EDT.
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SOUND BY: GUILHERME B. HOFFMANN | SOUND EDITED AND MIXED BY: VINICIUS LEAL,
AUDIORAMA FILMES | COLOR CORRECTION BY: JULIANA MUNIZ | EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: MARTA NÓBREGA,
LAURA CASTRO AND RENATA PERALVA, CRIA PRODUÇÕES ARTÍSTICAS
DISTRIBUTION BY: FÊNIX DISTRIBUIDORA DE FILMES | 2016
GUILHERMEHOFFMANN.COM/PRAIA
patrocínio
produção
distribuição
DISTRIBUIDORA DE FILMES