Skip to main content
Samba Infinito film image; sad little girl sitting on the shoulders of a man in a crowd

Samba Infinito

North American Premiere

Amid the revelry of Rio’s Carnival, a wandering boy chances upon a weary street sweeper whose long-repressed grief derails his humble obligations.

Director
Cast

Alexandre Amador, Camila Pitanga, Miguel Leonardo, Gilberto Gil

Credits
Country of Origin

Brazil/France

Year

2024

Language

In Portuguese with English subtitles

18+
16 min
Drama Experimental & Avant Garde Shorts

Credits & Director

Producer

Renan Barbosa Brandão, Rafael Teixeira, Leonardo Martinelli, Lucas H. Rossi, Clara Marquardt, Justin Pechberty, Damien Megherbi

Screenwriter

Leonardo Martinelli

Cinematography

João Atala

Editor

Lobo Mauro

Original Music

André Mendonça, Fabio Carnèiro

Art Director

Ananias de Caldas, Brian Thurler

Leonardo Martinelli headshot

Leonardo Martinelli

Leonardo Martinelli is a filmmaker from Rio de Janeiro. His shorts have been selected at festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Locarno, Toronto, San Sebastián, BFI London, Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs, Montreal, Biarritz, and Toulouse, among others, and his film Fantasma Neon (2021) won the Golden Leopard for Best International Short Film at the Locarno Film Festival. He holds a master’s degree in communications from PUC-Rio and is currently developing his first feature film, which was selected for the Locarno Residency and the Hubert Bals Fund.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

How to Divorce During the War

Dir. Andrius Blazevicius
108 min

Screenwriter Vytus is left reeling when on successive days his wife demands a divorce and Russia invades Ukraine. Blazevicius' masterful feature emerges as an engrossing satire about virtue signaling, nationalism, good intentions, and survival modes.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Kindergarten

Dir. Jean-François Caissy
84 min

In this charming Quebecois documentary, we are invited to look closely at the interactions of children between the ages of 1 and 5, a period in which they are just beginning to learn about social interactions. And yet how much they resemble ourselves!

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

American Doctor

Dir. Poh Si Teng
93 min

One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

A Sad and Beautiful World

Dir. Cyril Aris
110 min

This Lebanese love story chronicles the romance between a level-headed businesswoman and a romantic restauranteur across several decades in wartorn Beirut. It's funny, charming, melancholy and you'll feel it all.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Edie Arnold is a Loser + Q&A

Dir. Megan Rico, Kade Atwood
73 min

Loaded with breakneck gags in the spirit of Scott Pilgrim, but with a distinctly female-centered point of view, Megan Rico and Kade Atwood's hilarious teen comedy hits VIFF Centre on its 16 city whistlestop North American tour. Filmmaker Q&A.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Ravenous

Dir. Antonia Bird
100 min

This black comic horror western has a troubled production (no less than three directors) but it's a grisly, atmospheric treat (if cannibalism is your thing). Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle lead the way.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre