Caffé, Eliane. Narradores de Javé [The Storytellers]. Bananeira Filmes, 2003. 100 min.
Nothing can change the routine of the small village Javé (somewhere in Brazil) except for one thing: the sudden threat of extinction. Faced with submergence due to a hydropower project, its illiterate inhabitants decide on a unique strategy: to write a dossier documenting the glorious history of the village so as to justify its preservation as a site of historic interest. To this end, they call upon the services of former postman but questionable character Antonio Biá, the only one who can read and write. He must listen to sotries and accounts from the inhabitants, a difficult task as people do not always agree on the highly compelling material he gathers, dating back to the time of the Conquistadors. Brazilian director Eliane Caffé pays homage to the power of narrative when confronted with the most radical of landscape transformations. (Source: Adapted from the original Portuguese at Bananeira Filmes)
© 2003 Bananeira Filmes. Image used with permission.
