The biopic drama Marighella, the debut feature by acclaimed Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (Narcos), which is currently censored in Brazil, is opening on U.S. virtual cinemas this Friday, April 30, by the hand of distribution company ArtMattan Films.
Starring acclaimed actor and musician Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) in the title role and set in 1969, the film captures the final years of one of the country’s most divisive historical figures: Afro-Brazilian poet, politician, and guerrilla fighter Carlos Marighella. Facing a violent military dictatorship in the late sixties, Marighella organizes a resistance movement that galvanizes a younger generation of revolutionaries—and brings him under attack as the government labels him public enemy number one. As the police close in, Marighella tries to fulfill his promise to reconnect with his son while refusing to give up the fight.
The controversial film, based on the biographical book by Mario Magalhaes, had its world premiere at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, and was set to premiere in Brazil later that year. Yet, following a denunciation by President Jair Bolsonaro, the film’s premiere got cancelled indefinitely as the producers were reportedly unable to "comply with the procedures" required by the National Cinema Agency.
In a press conference at the Berlinale, director Moura affirmed declared that “the state-sponsored violence committed against revolutionaries in the 1960s is the same that’s committed in the favelas against blacks.” In a video, President Bolsonaro attacked the film claiming “Wagner Moura doesn’t show the crimes practiced by Carlos Marighella,” citing the guerrilla fighter’s call for violence against police and military officers.
Watch the trailer:
