FILM INDUSTRY Can renaissance in movies revive Brazilians' interest?

One man is working to open long-shut theaters in the country.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- The Brazilian film "City of God" scored a rare coup for non-U.S. movies -- receiving four nominations, including for best picture, at this year's Academy Awards. Now Brazilians expect great things from "The Motorcycle Diaries" -- the tale of a young Che Guevara -- which opens Friday in the United States.
The two films reflect the renaissance of the Brazilian film industry. The country is expected to produce 50 feature-length films this year -- the most since the 1970s and almost the double the number produced last year.
But more and better movies raises the question: Who's watching?
"The problem is there is almost nowhere to show Brazilian movies," complains film star Jose Wilker, star of such 1970s art-house classics as "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands," and "Bye Bye Brazil."
Now president of Rio Filme, Wilker is working to reopen long shut movie theaters in Rio de Janeiro's poor neighborhoods, hoping to build a broader audience for Brazilian films.
It won't be easy.
Bad times
Years of economic turmoil and hyperinflation and an end to government subsidies crippled a thriving Brazilian movie industry. In the early 1990s, production dwindled to nearly nothing.
Films also suffered from spotty production and weak story lines.
"For a long time there was a stigma attached to Brazilian films. The general public thought they were bad and didn't even go to see them. That's just beginning to change," said director Jose Henrique Fonseca.
Fonseca has felt the pinch first-hand.
His 2003 movie "Man of the Year," about a contract killer who becomes a neighborhood hero, was well-received in international festivals but attracted a paltry 120,000 spectators at home.
There are only about 1,700 movie screens in all of Brazil, a country of 180 million people. By contrast, New York state has just over one-tenth of that population and 1,900 movie screens.
Today, even the most enthusiastic fans often don't get to see Brazilian films on the big screen. Only 7 percent of Brazilian cities even have a movie theater.
Getting noticed
But Brazilian-made movies are drawing a bigger share of the public. Last year, audiences for Brazilian films accounted for 22 percent of Brazil's moviegoing public, up from 8 percent the year before.
Three Brazilian movies were among the 10 top-grossing films of 2003. One reason for the upswing was a government requirement that movie theaters show Brazilian films 63 days a year. In 2002, the quota was only 35 days.
Another reason: the unusually good vintage of Brazilian films.
Veteran producer Luiz Carlos Barreto wistfully recalls the 1978 hit "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands," which drew nearly 11 million spectators -- a Brazilian record -- and says it wouldn't do that well now.
"In that era, we had 3,500 movie theaters, and ticket prices were about 80 cents [compared with the current $2.50 to $3]," Barreto said. "A lot of Brazilians just can't afford to go to the movies."
Still, Barreto expects as many 70 Brazilian movies to be released next year.
The main reason is tax breaks for companies which invest in Brazilian films.