arts innovator
Cavi Borges
Brazil
The life of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas is Cavi Borges’ pas- sion and the subject of his cinematic art. But in a de- parture from classic films
about Rio’s notorious slums such as
Cidade de Deus (2002) or Tropa de Elite
(2007), Borges portrays the human,
personal experiences of growing up
in the favelas. Focusing on the common experiences of youth, yearning
and maturation, Borges’ movies bring
audiences closer to the people who
live in this environment by avoiding
sensationalism and caricature.
film still: mAuro Kury
In the most successful film of his
still-short career, A Distração de Ivan
(Ivan’s Diversion), produced last year,
Borges portrays the Brazilian neighborhood of Brás de Pina to his audience through the eyes of Ivan, an
11-year-old boy. A polished and elegant coming-of-age story, it contains
none of the brutal violence that characterizes other film depictions of
favela life.
The movie went international this
spring when it was selected for Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the sixth film made by the
35-year-old director from Rio. “I work
with poor communities,” Borges explains, “and I try to build simple and
realistic stories around them.” Those
relationships, as well as partnerships
with other directors and filmmakers,
are an important part of how Borges
sees himself as a filmmaker.
In Ivan’s Diversion, we follow the
title character (based on the childhood of codirector Gustavo Melo)
through the loneliness of an afternoon spent behind the walls of his
grandmother’s courtyard. The story
builds with its award-winning original score, an honor received at the
2009 Cine PE Festival do Audiovisual
in Recife, to a peak both figurative
and literal, with Ivan perched on his
bicycle high above the city, finding
his own escape as dusk falls.
Borges’ path to a promising career
in moviemaking was not direct. In
the mid 1990s, he was preparing to
compete in judo for Brazil at the 1996
Summer Olympics in Atlanta when
he suffered a training injury. His
Olympic ambitions dashed, Borges
opened a video store specializing in
art movies, which rapidly developed
a following among Rio film-lovers.
In a replay of the career of U.S. filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and French
auteur directors, he transformed himself from film connoisseur to film-
A still from Borges’
2009 film, Ivan’s
Diversion (above).
Borges first met
Rio’s filmmakers
and independent
producers through
his video store,
Cavídeo (left).
maker, with help along the way from
local directors.
Of the more than 2,000 films considered for Critics’ Week at Cannes,
Ivan was one of only seven selected
for screening. Borges still does not
believe the turn of fortune. “I always
send my work to these kinds of festivals, but I never believed I could
actually be chosen,” he says. Growing international exposure has done
more than simply boost his career. According to Borges, it has given world
audiences a new way of looking at
Brazil. “Even though the story takes
place in Brazil, I believe people anywhere can relate to it through their
own memories of childhood,” he says.
Meanwhile, Borges hasn’t forgotten
his roots. His old video store, Cavídeo,
has grown into a production company.
In a digital era, when moviemaking is
more accessible to those without deep
pockets, there’s no shortage of new
projects. Currently, Cavídeo has four
new short films and three full-length
films ready for release.
