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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 14 January 2020
Brazil documentary gets Oscar

nomination, exposes division

By MAURICIO SAVARESE in 2018, far-right candidate on Twitter for "the serious-
Associated Press Jair Bolsonaro defeated ness in which she narrated
SAO PAULO (AP) — The the Workers' Party candi- this important time of our
Academy Award nomina- date to win the presidency. history."
tion for a Brazilian docu- Leftist politicians said the "Truth will prevail," he wrote.
mentary about the im- nomination validates their Conservatives fired back,
peachment of then-Pres- interpretation of Rousseff's slamming the film's veracity
ident Dilma Rousseff has impeachment as a soft and insisting Brazil's first fe-
laid bare the polarization coup, as Costa suggests. male president deserved to
of Latin America's largest Brazil's congress had also be ousted for manipulating
In this Sept. 6, 2016 file photo, Brazil's impeached President Dilma democracy. impeached President Fer- budget figures. During her
Rousseff receives flowers and gifts from supporters as she leaves
the presidential residence, Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil. In "The Edge of Democra- nando Collor de Mello in impeachment trials, Rous-
Associated Press cy," 36-year-old filmmaker 1992 due to corruption seff's popularity rating was
Petra Costa uses her per- charges, but that process in the single digits and her
sonal story to argue that was much less divisive. administration was largely
Brazil's democracy is at "The story of the 2016 coup blamed for the country's
risk after the abrupt end that removed me from economic crisis after a de-
to governments led by the the presidency through a cade of gains.
leftist Workers' Party be- fraudulent impeachment "Congratulations to film-
tween 2003 and 2016. has taken the world," Rous- maker Petra Costa on her
Leftists argue the accu- seff said in a statement. nomination for best fiction
sation of fiscal manipula- "The movie shows how my and fantasy," the Brazilian
tion of the budget against removal from power - and Social Democracy Party,
Rousseff is not a crime and the venal media and Brazil- which was instrumental in
not an impeachable of- ian political and economic Rousseff's impeachment
fense. Right-wingers insist elites charged against de- process, said on Twitter.
that is the case, and some mocracy in this country - Roberto Alvim, Bolsonaro's
of them argue there were resulted in the rise of a far- secretary of culture, also
enough problems in Rous- right candidate in 2018." said Costa's documentary
seff's administration to do Rousseff's mentor, former amounts to fiction and told
away with it anyway. President Luiz Inácio Lula local newspaper Folha de
With Rousseff's removal da Silva, who recently was S.Paulo that its recogni-
in 2016, her conservative released from jail pending tion by Hollywood proves
vice president, Michel Te- appeal of his corruption the culture wars are being
mer, assumed power and conviction, praised Costa waged internationally. q
Arizona store gives 'Star Wars'

record back to Mark Hamill

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The
Force was strong enough
at an Arizona store to re-
unite Luke Skywalker with
his long-lost vinyl record.
Actor Mark Hamill is prais-
ing workers at Bookmans
Entertainment Exchange
in Flagstaff for returning the
"Star Wars: A New Hope"
soundtrack that had been
a gift from film composer
John Williams.
Hamill said in a tweet Satur-
day that it felt "totally unex-
pected & positively surreal" In this Dec. 16, 2019, file photo, Mark Hamill arrives at the world
to get back the record he premiere of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
hadn't seen since the early
1990s. He commended the The record was one of nu- eventually tried reaching
store about 145 miles (233 merous "Star Wars" items out to Hamill via social me-
kilometers) north of Phoenix brought in by a woman dia. The actor confirmed it
for being honest and not after her father's death in was genuine, and the vinyl
selling it. 2018, the Arizona Daily Sun was sent back to him.
"I happily offered to sign reported. Employees at the Salmons said Hamill signed
any ("Star Wars") items they Arizona-based chain that a DVD of "Star Wars: A New
sent me," the actor wrote. sells used books, movies Hope" and two medals that
Williams had written on the and CDs tried to verify the are replicas of those given
vinyl's sleeve: "Dear Mark signature. to his character and Han
Hamill, May the force al- Micheil Salmons, the store's Solo, played by Harrison
ways be with us." general manager, said they Ford, in the film.q