‘Unliveable’ Directors and ‘Narjis A.,’ ‘Initials S.G.’ Producers Link on ‘Burning Land,’ a Fractious Labor Relations Mystery Thriller (EXCLUSIVE)
21.11.2023 - 15:07
/ variety.com
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Brazilian talents to track Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, selected for 2021’s Sundance with short “Unliveable,” are teaming with Janaina Bernardes, a co-producer of Karim Ainouz’s “Nardjes A.” and Argentina’s Frutacine, behind Tribeca player “Initials S.G.,” to produce “Burning Land” (“Terra de Fuego”), Carvalho and Farias’ awaited feature debut. “Unliveable” was voted by Brazil’s Abraccine critics’ assn. as the best short of the year.
Part of Pernambuco’s building film scene, Carvalho and Farias will produce “Burning Land” via their Recife-based Gatopardo Filmes. Frutacine is headed by Iván Eibuszyc, whose credits also include Santiago Loza’s “La Paz” and Alejandro Fadel’s “Murder Me, Monster.” It forms part of Pitching Paradiso, a six feature project showcase which will unspool on Nov. 30 at Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur.
Written by Carvalho and Farias, “Burning Land” is set at a sugar cane mill in Brazil’s North-East, which is hit by financial crisis, with many employees left unpaid. As workers threaten to strike, they begin to disappear. Young new employee Fabiana determines to investigate, unveiling a dark universe that surrounds the mill, the town of Queimadas, and Fabiana herself, whose grandfather also disappeared 40 years before.
A local legend tells of similar events happening many times in the last 200 years, incidents that remain unsolved. Viewers may well be trapped, wondering if the cause of the disappearance is, for example, supernatural, or product of down-the-centuries class struggle or lies elsewhere. “Burning Land” has secured funding from Brazil’s Ministry of Culture, Fundo Setorial Audiovisual, Ancine and Ibermedia.