The highly anticipated documentary about legendary Brazilian singer Elza Soares will have its world premiere in Rio, then head to the Rome Film Festival Oscar-nominated Italian producer Donatella Palermo (“Fire at Sea,” “Caesar Must Die”) has boarded Eryk Rocha’s highly anticipated doc “Elza” as a production associate. The film will have its world premiere at the Rio Film Festival and its international premiere at the Rome Film Festival. The film is a comprehensive documentary about one of Brazil’s most renowned singers and public figures, Elza Soares.
Drawing on rare archival materials and intimate conversations between Soares and the director during the final years of her life, “Elza” traces the icon’s seven-decade career while revealing the many facets of the woman behind the legend. The project comes with the backing of high-calibre partners, including Aruac Filmes (“Cinema Novo”), Maria Farinha Filmes (“The Beginning of Life”), Globo Filmes (“I’m Still Here”), RAI Cinema and Gullane+. Rocha, who followed Elza over eight years of filming, said: “Elza Soares is a beacon whose art and legacy continue to guide us.
To tell her story is also to tell the story of our country. By allowing Elza to tell her story in her own voice, the film brings us once again into the presence of this immense woman and artist.” “The film is also a way to honor her dedication to music and her commitment to everything she was, and everything she continues to represent,” he added. Soares met Armstrong in Chile in 1962, during a World Cup that would change the course of her life.
Named BBC’s “Voice of the Millennium,” Elza transcended genres and national borders to become a global symbol of artistic freedom, resilience, and the enduring power of Black women’s voices. Her death in 2022 moved the entire country, with artists and fans paying lengthy homages to the trailblazer. The film is distributed by Gullane+ and Maria Farinha Filmes.
The film was produced in collaboration with Faber Produzioni and RAI Cinema.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
