Kino Lorber has announced the U.S. theatrical run of Neon Bull / Boi Neon (pictured), filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro’s sensual and immersive new film set against the backdrop of the Brazilian rodeo world.
Presented at the Venice (Special Jury Prize) and Toronto festivals, the film will soon be seen at New Directors/New Films. It will open theatrically in New York on Friday, April 8 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center with a national rollout to follow. The Film Society will also be presenting "Gabriel Mascaro: Ebbs and Flows," a special showcase of the director’s previous work, running April 15-21.
Neon Bull confirms writer-director Gabriel Mascaro as a rising star in a burgeoning new wave movement coming out of Brazil's northeast. His visually stunning new film (shot by Cemetery of Splendor DP Diego Garcia) unfolds within the tough, macho world of the vaquejada, a traditional exhibition sport in which cowboys try to pull bulls to the ground by their tails.
The film explores the vaquejada through the eyes of Iremar (Juliano Cazarré), a rugged cowboy who works the events. Home for Iremar is the truck used to transport the animals from show to show, which he shares with his makeshift family: Galega, an exotic dancer, the truck driver and mother to the young and spirited Cacá, and Zé, his compadre in the bullpen. While he's not afraid to get his hands dirty, Iremar's real dream is to become a fashion designer and create outfits for dancers, with Galega as his muse.
