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BRAZILFOUNDATION
BENEFIT
IN LA
- press
- picture gallery
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BrazilFoundation was the Community Partner to the first Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival (LABREFF) held March 7-9. At a Pre-Festival Benefit Reception hosted by BrazilFoundation on March 6th at the Milken Institute in Santa Monica, 150 people joined in celebration of the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival. This was also an opportunity to honor Ambassador Thereza Maria Machado Quintella, Consul General of Brazil in Los Angeles, for highlighting the many vital aspects of Brazilian culture, industry, commerce and traditions for Angelinos, and who is retiring next May. She deeply appreciated the honor and joked that "it made [her] feel like she was at the Oscars ceremony!"
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Ambassador Thereza Maria Machado Quintella, Consul General of Brazil in Los Angeles
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Brazilian film and television stars Fabio Assunção, Marjorie Andrade, Daniela Escobar, as well as film producers and directors Pompeu Aguiar, Theodor Fontes, and Roberto Santucci came to the Foundation's event.
Contributing to the success of the evening were Walter and Wagner Caldas, two young violinists from the Orchestra da Grota do Surucucu, a project of Reciclarte, a grantee of the foundation in an at-risk neighborhood of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro. The Caldas twins are now studying music on scholarship at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). They were introduced by their UNI music professor, John Valentine and performed several classical pieces. Wagner, who is also a gifted singer, gave a rendition of the Louis Armstrong standard, "What a Wonderful World", which made the audience cheer!
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Walter and Wagner Caldas's performance.
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Thanks to the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival, which is now planned as an annual offering, Brazilian film has a chance to get the mainstream recognition it deserves - for its cinematic creativity and its courage in addressing Brazil's social ills, which are all the more unsettling for existing in conjunction with the country's beauty and riches. The Festival provided a singular opportunity for BrazilFoundation Directors Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro and Vanessa Simone Pereira and Manager of the Foundation's Expansion program - Lilian Miller, to introduce BrazilFoundation and its mission.
LABRFF's organizers, Meire and Nazareno Fernandes, in addition to running a very exciting festival, demonstrated their support for BrazilFoundation by inviting it to be the Festival's only non-profit partner. The Festival helped enlist 60 new FRIENDS of BrazilFoundation - including Roberto Santucci, the Festival's award winner for the film Riding High. The FRIENDS & PARTNERS of BrazilFoundation Campaign has created a vital community of supporters who help the Foundation promote the work of the non-profit sector in Brazil and extend the Foundation's donor base to various regions in the U.S. where there are significant Brazilian populations.
The Foundation was pleased to have its 30-second public service announcement, produced by GOL Marketing, screened between viewings of the 40 films presented at the Festival. At closing night our PSA was applauded by a theater filled with 300-plus people - a clear recognition that the role of the Foundation was taken to heart. Many in the audience made it a point to stop by BrazilFoundation's table for additional information provided by the Foundation's dedicated volunteers, L.A. artists Rose Lobo and Sandra Zebi.
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Rodrigo Veloso and Emilie Fritz Veloso
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Special thanks for making this a very special event go to all members of the Benefit Committee. Diana Taylor, a Los Angeles psychologist and member of the Committee, introduced the evening's honoree, Ambassador Quintella. She also spoke passionately about Ambassador Quintella's work and how she inspired so many in L.A. to find the best in ourselves and to make a difference.
Other members of the Benefit Committee were Aaron and Raquel Davies, Cyro Duarte, Meire Fernandes, Jacob Forman, Adriana Gomez, Oswaldo Kuono, Ignez Penna, Marthina Sochodolak and Rodrigo Veloso - all of whom provided enthusiasm and invaluable help in organizing the Foundation's benefit event. Rodrigo and Emilie Veloso of O.N.E. World Enterprises donated delicious O.N.E. coconut water, adding a very Brazilian taste to the evening. Jet Blue helped bring Wagner and Walter Caldas to the Festival and Pizzato Vinhos e Vinhas sponsored the Foundation's cocktail reception on March 6th.
The Foundation is grateful for the media coverage in Brazil and in the US of this event.
PRESS
Revista Caras (Caras.ig.com.br) - article in portuguese
Jornal O Globo - article in portuguese
BrazilMax.com (www.brazilmax.com)
Revista Sete (RevistaSete.com) - article in portuguese
Brazzil Magazine (BrazzilMag.com)
www.ranforestpower.blogspot.com/
Los Angeles Guide (LA.com)
PICTURE GALLERY
photos by Dennis W. Butler
BrazilFoundation's Pre-Festival Benefit Reception
Walter Caldas with actress Daniela Escobar |
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Ambassador Thereza Maria Machado Quintella, Elaine Sugimura, President Alpargatas USA, and Lilian Miller, BrazilFoundation National Expansion Manager |
Diana Taylor |
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Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro, BrazilFoundation's Director honoring Ambassador Thereza Maria Machado Quintella, Consul General of Brazil in Los Angeles |
Vanessa Pereira and Minister Affonso Jose Santos |
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Professor John Valentine, Director of Music Department at UNI where Walter and Wagner Caldas are studying music. |
Wagner Caldas and Walter Caldas performing "Tico Tico no Fuba" |
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Wagner Caldas gives a rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" |
Wagner Caldas |
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Wagner Caldas addressing the audience |
AnnaClara Herrmann with Walter and Wagner Caldas |
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Andre Cavanha, Editor, Revista Sete, James White, Executive Director, Christopher Isherwood Foundation and Eduardo Belmont |
Nazareno Paulo, co-founder of LABRFF being interviewed by Gisele Claudiane |
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Marjorie Andrade |
Maria Bofill and M. Carolina Gedeon-Pugh |
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Marcus Vinicius, Vanessa Robert, Wagner Caldas, Walter Caldas, Anna Clara Herrmann, Marta Micheli, Bia Vasconcellos, Laura Neves and Tereza Neves. |
Martin Mitchel, Gilmara Mitchel, Wagner Caldas, Diana Taylor, Amb. Thereza Quintella and Walter Caldas |
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Rodney Alves and Diana Taylor |
Gisele Claudino, Adriana Souza, Daniela Escobar |
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Gisele Claudino and Joao Ramos |
Andrea Souza |
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Marjorie Andrade and Vanessa Pereira, sided by Wagner and Walter Caldas |
Marthina Sochodolak |
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Aline Schmidt, Julia Melim and Gisele Claudino |
Wagner Caldas, Marjorie Andrade and Lilian Miller |
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Adriana Gomes, Raquel Davies, Aaron Davies, Sandra Zebi, Andrea Souza and Rose Lobo |
Marthina Sochodolak, Adriana Gomes and Raquel Davies |
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João Ramos, Wagner Caldas, Lou Capuzzo Peixoto, Walter Caldas and Andre Cavanha of Revista Sete |
BrazilFoundation Volunteers in Los Angeles: Marthina Sochololak, Rodrigo Veloso, Adriana Gomes, Raquel Davies, Aaron Davies, Sandra Zebi, Andrea Souza, Rose Lobo, Maria Cecilia Freitas, Ignes Penna |
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Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro, Vanessa Robert, Wagner and Walter Caldas
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Gisele Claudine and Andre Cavanha |
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Actress Daniela Escobar |
BrazilFoundation at LABRFF 2008 - March7-9
Karina Tavares, actor Fabio Assunção and Meire Fernandes |
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Miriam Melim and Actress Julia Melim |
The First Los Angeles Film Festival (LABRFF 2008) Opening Night - World Premier of "Bellini and the Devil" |
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Theodoro Fontes, Director of "Bellini and the Devil" |
Professor Randal Johnson with daughter Gabriela Johnson |
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Jonathan Greene |
Bia Vasconcellos |
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Ambassador Quintella visits BrazilFoundation booth at LABRFF 2008 |
Director of "Riding High" Roberto Santucci and Aaron Davies |
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Kelly Richardson and John Ungareti |
Meire Fernandes, Founder of LABRFF and Publicist Karina Tavares |
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Karina Tavares and Fabio Assunção |
Sandra Zebi, Aaron Davies, Rose Lobo and Allen Resnick |
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Evelyn Sochodolak and Marthina Sochodolak |
Rose Lobo, Marcelo Gomes and Sandra Zebi |
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AnnaClara Hermann, Fabio Assuncao, Marjorie Andrade and Lilian Miller |
Actress Rita Guedes |
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Laura Neves |
Lilian Miller and Sandra Zebi |
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Lilian Miller, Daniel Lobo and Raquel Davies |
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