O2 Play Swoops on ‘Broken,’ From Oscar-Nominated ‘City of God’ DP Cesar Charlone (EXCLUSIVE)

O2 Play, the distribution-sales arm of Brazils O2 Filmes group, co-owned by City of God director Fernando Meirelles, has boarded Broken (Partido), which is co-directed by Oscar-nominated City of God DP Csar Charlone.

O2 Play has acquired Brazilian and world sales rights to the doc feature. O2 Play founder Igor Kupstas will introduce Broken to buyers at Locarno Pro, which runs Aug.3-9.

Charlone, also The Two Popes DP and director of 3%, South Americas first Netflix series, has directed alongside Sebastin Bednarik (Maracan, Sangre de Campeones) and Joaquim Castro (Mquina do Desejo 60 Anos do Teatro Oficina).

Produced by Uruguays Coral Cine, in co-production with Brazils OPY Filmes, Broken covers Brazils 2018 general election from the point of view of Fernando Haddad, currently Brazils minister of economy and then the candidate of Brazils now ruling Workers Party put up to face off with Jair Bolsonaro.

Broken will have its world premiere as the closing film at Doc Montevideo on July 28.

When Charlone came with this story, the first I thought of was John Fords famous saying that cinema is a man in trouble. In the period where we follow him (2018), Haddad is a man in trouble, and thats the film, director-producer Bednarik, a Coral Cine co-founder, toldVariety.

He added: The question would be: Can a person do anything against a tragedy foretold (as were Brazils 2018 elections)? By the time the films finished, the question has changed from how did Bolsonaro get to power to the day-after questions of: And what now? How do we get out of this?

Charlone took charge of directing the films shoot. Bednarik and Castro boarded as co-directors for the three-year editing process, with Charlone focusing on visuals, Castro on editing and Bednarik on structure and dramaturgy, Bednarik toldVariety.

The presence at Locarno of Kupstas, who launched O2 Play in 2013, is not coincidental. Part of O2 Filmes, owned by Paulo Morelli, Andrea Barata Ribeiro and Meirelles, one of Brazils biggest and most respected of film and TV production forces, O2 Play is now an established player on Brazils distribution scene. It has released over 80 films in cinema theaters in Brazil, while licensing international on some titles to OTT players around the world.

Over the last decade, Kupstas has attended Berlin, SXSW, Cannes and IDFA. For the last year or so, we became more interested in expanding, both for international sales and acquisitions, Kupstas toldVariety.

Brazils dramatic foreseeable rebound as Latin Americas production powerhouse with Brazilian Presidents Lula Incio Lula da Silvas new government looking set to plow just under $1 billion in 2023 into the countrys audiovisual sector will do nothing to dampen O2 Plays ambitions.

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