Documentary 'Black and White' shows race relations in Brazil
On 20 June 2004 the world premiere of Preto e Blanco / Black and White, a documentary by the Brazilian multimedia/video artist Carlos Nader (Sao Paolo 1964), was presented at the World Wide Video Festival. 'This time I wanted to make a film with social importance, where the issue is more important than I am', declares the artist.
 Carlos
Nader has created a number of films. The award-winning Portrait
of a Serial Kisser (1993) is a film about a man that kisses
based on political conviction. In the video Carlos Nader (1998),
described as 'a non-autobiography: a video about its creator, a
video about nothing', he attempts to find individuality based on
colour, nationality and political preference.
In his newest film, Black and White, Nader goes a step
further. In an almost sociological study of race relations he uses
interviews to introduce us to eight main characters who have an
extraordinary relation to their 'race'. 'Racism itself is not expressed
overtly in Brazil, which makes it difficult to fight', according
to Nader. The film is intentionally shot almost completely in black
and white, so that the viewer is not sure what colour the speaker
is. In Brazil almost no one is entirely black or entirely white;
people carry the traces of their coloured parents and ancestors.
Nader explains that in Brazil one does not speak of black or white,
because it is much more frequently a social issue that has to do
with origin. Black and White offers salient examples and
statements showing that even in the most mixed race country in the
world, there is no equality based on race or colour.
Nader, who was able to make the film thanks to the Prince Claus Fund, has been a regular guest at the WWVF since 1993. He believes that it is unfortunate that the Dutch Council of Culture has advised eliminating the subsidy for the WWVF, because he owes his worldwide recognition to this festival.
Magne van den Berg
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