A slug queen, a fresh Capoeira roda, a parade, and the eclectic mingling of Eugenians all highlights which led to another highlight of the Eugene Celebration: the US premiere of Capoeira: Fly Away Beetle. It was a packed house and the film’s screening was extremely well received. The question and answer session was more lively and engaging than any of us could have hoped for. The audience, ranging from those who had no clue about Capoeira to the well seasoned Capoeirista, seemed sincerely moved at some level.
Most interesting for us, the film makers, was the fact that some of us had never met. After working for months on the post production on the Oregon coast I finally met the Portland/Brazilian crew; Ben, our cinematographer and Cosmos, our director. I finally saw the men whose work I had for so long admired, ingested and edited. Ri and Renee, the post production director and producer respectively, met Ben for the first time. Ben and Cosmos met Brian the musician. We had all become intimate with each other’s work, and finally face to face we laughed, drank and talked amazed at the strange trajectory a film project may take.
What really made the event complete was the presence and performance of the Capoeira group, CTE CAPOEIRAGEM from Portland and Eugene. Their roda at 8th and Willamette, right smack in the middle of the Celebration was fantastic. Complete with berimbau and drums they exhibited joy and technique and were admired by curious onlookers. All thanks… and long live the Eugene CTE CAPOEIRAGEM under their teacher Contre-Mestre Dilaho at the Core Star Cultural Center in Eugene.
The Eugene Celebration’s Film Festival, our premier, and the whole experience would not have been possible without the wonderful work of the festivals director, Katina, and the exhibition director Heather Figi. Their expert coordination of events made it all happen, and their appreciation of film is appreciated.
Owing to the success of doing this event with the CTE CAPOEIRAGEM of Eugene and Portland, we are offering the film as fundraisers for various Capoeira groups… and through this begin to get the film out to the larger world.
