Site icon The Boca Raton Tribune

FAU Presents ‘Dear Ambassador,’ a Film about the Brazilian Ambassador that Saved Hundreds of Jews in France

Florida Atlantic University and the Latin American Training Center present the U.S. premiere of the film “Dear Ambassador,” which tells the story of the Brazilian ambassador who saved more than a thousand people, mostly Jews, in France during World War II. The film will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. in the University Theatre, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus, and is in Portuguese with English subtitles. Tickets to the film are $10 and can be purchased at www.fauevents.com or by calling 800-564-9539. The first 50 FAU students to present an ID at the Box Office in FAU’s Student Union will receive free tickets to the event.

“Dear Ambassador,” which was directed by Luiz Fernando Goulart and produced by Joaquim Vaz Carvalho, tells the extraordinary story of Luiz Martins de Souza Dantas, who served as Brazilian ambassador to Paris during World War II. A largely unsung hero, he defied his own government’s orders by granting hundreds of unauthorized visas to Jews and others facing imminent capture and death. Consisting of re-enactments, interviews with survivors, and archival footage, “Dear Ambassador” commemorates Brazil’s counterpart to Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, and like them, was awarded posthumously the title of “Righteous among the Nations” at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Goulart will introduce the film and also participate in a panel discussion with the audience following the screening.

Michael J. Horswell, Dean of FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters remarked, “I am excited to launch our new partnership with the LATC and its president, Steve Solot, by providing Palm Beach and Broward counties with an exciting premiere of a film that will resonate with many communities in our region and with a film series that highlights the incredible quality and variety of Brazil’s recent cinema.” Horswell went on to thank Mr. Aloysio Vasconcelos, chairman of the Brazil International Foundation and a member of the College of Arts and Letters Community Advisory Board, whose introductions have fostered this international collaboration. “Aloysio Vasconcelos has become a great friend of our college and we are grateful to have him on our board not only as a conduit to the Brazilian community in South Florida but as a link back to universities and other institutions in Brazil that are important partners for Florida and Florida Atlantic University.”

Dean Horswell went on to invite those interested in the Latin American and Brazilian film industry and current cinema panorama to a symposium organized by Steve Solot and FAU professors Stephen Charbonneau and Anthony Guneratne that will take place all day on Monday, February 5. More information about the symposium is available on the same website as the film series.

The screening of “Dear Ambassador” marks the inauguration of a year-long Brazilian film series as the first initiative of its new hemispheric partnership. The monthly Brazilian cinema series comprises films of recognized cultural, artistic and social value, and representative of the five regions of Brazil. Support for the series is provided by the Brazil International Foundation, the Brazilian Film Commission Network, the Audiovisual Promotion Division of the Cultural Department of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry and the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami. LATC serves as curator of the film series project and direct liaison with film production companies in Brazil. The series is hosted by FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and the Graduate Certificate of Film and Culture.

“Thanks to the support of Aloysio Vasconcellos, chairman of the Brazil International Foundation and the leadership of Michael Horswell, Dean of FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the Latin American Training Center-LATC has established a unique multi-faceted partnership providing for development of joint programs in the film, television, academic exchange, training and other areas which will ensure a new, central role for FAU in the Latin Americas cultural and audiovisual scenario,” said Steve Solot President, Latin American Training Center. “Our first joint initiative is the Brazil Film Series beginning with the US premiere at FAU on February 4th of the docu-drama “Dear Ambassador” which will be introduced personally by the well-known director, Luiz Fernando Goulart, who will travel from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil especially for the event. Sr. Goulart will also offer a Master Class on the film and Brazilian cinema as part of the seminar “Current Trends in Latin American Cinema and Documentary Filmmaking” on campus the following day.

The series is part of the long-term strategic relationship announced in 2017 by FAU and LATC to jointly develop a wide range of academic, policy, resource, outreach and training activities in the area of Latin American film, television and new media. For more information about the Brazilian Film Series, visit fau.edu/artsandletters/college-initiatives/brazilian-film-series/.

Exit mobile version