Jonas e o Circo sem Lona / Jonas and the Backyard Circus
A film by Paula Gomes
This film was screened as a part of the 2017 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF20)
Brazil, Coming of Age Documentary, 2015
83 min, Color
Portuguese with English subtitles
Jonas is a 13 year old boy whose life dream is to maintain the circus he created in his backyard. He was born into a traveling circus, but some years ago his family decided to leave it behind. They ended up moving into a violent neighborhood on the outskirts of Salvador. Jonas never adjusted to the new lifestyle, so he created his own circus in his backyard. However, maintaining the circus is getting harder and harder. Jonas is growing up and adolescence is mercilessly imposing thousands of new challenges upon him. While Jonas’ circus crumbles, he realizes he is powerless to change things. This provokes the question: What do we do with our dreams when we grow up?
Regional Premiere
About the director
Paula Gomes is a graduate of Escuela Septima Ars de Madrid. Her short film, PORNOGRAPHICO, won 17 awards, including Best Short Film at the San Luis Cine Festival and a Special Jury Mention at the Viña del Mar Festival. Her first documentary, OCCUPATION: CLOWN, screened in Latin American festivals, including Muestra Documental de Bogotá. JONAS AND THE BACKYARD CIRCUS was awarded the TFI Latin America Media Arts Fund and was also presented in the Rough Cut sessions at Visions Du Réel.
Credits
Producer: Ernesto Molinero, Haroldo Borges, Marcos Bautista
Production Companies: Plano 3 Filmes
Screenwriter: Paula Gomes
Cinematographer: Haroldo Borges
Editor: Andrea Kleinman
Sound Design: Jorge Gutierrez, Tori Zalokar
Cast: Jonas Laborda, Wilma Macedo, Neide Silva
Print Source: Paula Gomes, paulatgomes@gmail.com
