Beyond The Light

"One of the best films I've seen in my life."
(Carole Rosenberg, Executive Director of the Havana Film Festival NY)

Category: documentary
(Color-NTSC / 82 min. / Brazil - 2010)

Synopsis: Beyond the Light takes us into the universe of the visually impaired through seven Brazilian blind people.  In upbeat accounts, they expose their difficulties, joys, dreams and emotions and show that the road to a better life is through education and information.  The importance of Louis Braille in this process is crucial and so Goulart also goes to France to tell the story of this renowned man, who invented a simple and useful writing system, which opened the doors of knowledge to all those who can’t see.

Production: Goulart Filmes and Avanturi Productions
Executive producers: Marcelo Nigri and Nayglon Goulart
Producers: Marcelo Nigri, Ivy Goulart and Nayglon Goulart
Director and screenwriter: Ivy Goulart
Photography: Ivy Goulart
B&W photographs: Walter Carvalho
Editing and research: Ivy Goulart and Marcelo Nigri
Sound operator: Nayglon Goulart
Sound recording: Timothy Korn and Marcelo Nigri
Re-recording mixer: Tim Starnes
Portuguese audio description and narration: Ivy Goulart
English audio description: Allie Bethea
English narration: Josh Philip Weinstein
Interviewees: Laélio Inácio, Vilmar Dal Toè, Francisco de Assis Domingos, Alexandre Rzatki, Vanderlei Pereira, Manoel de Souza, Maria da Gloria Almeida, Valnei Teixeira, Albertina Pessoa Domingos, Susan Pereira, Rosimeri de Fátima Dal Toè, Eulália Pereira Inácio and Claudia Rodrigues
Voice-over actors: George Shepherd (Laélio Inácio), Tom Shewchuk (Vilmar Dal Toè), Rhasaan Oyasaba Manning (Francisco de Assis Domingos), Mike Catapano (Alexandre Rzatki), Morris Mandell (Manoel de Souza), Hilma Falkowski (Maria da Gloria Almeida), Stephen Moskovitz (Valnei Teixeira), Minna Taylor (Albertina Pessoa Domingos), De Anne Dubin (Rosimeri de Fátima Dal Toè), Cathy Figuccio (Eulália Pereira Inácio), Laura Augeri (Claudia Rodrigues) and Sheila Bernstein (reporter)
Music: Heitor Villa-Lobos, by Aldo Baldin
Audio description consultant: Ana Fátima Berquó
Art designer: Luciane Nard
Translation: Marcelo Nigri and Robert McCullough

Screenings

Pre-debuts:

• Federal Senate of Brazil – Week Honoring Persons with Disabilities (Brasília, Brazil, December 2009);
• United Nations – International Day of Persons with Disabilities (New York, December 2009).

Showings:

• Maison de l'Espérance (Paris, May 2010);
• Portuguese Embassy (Paris, April 2010);
• Odyssée Cinema (Strasbourg, France, April 2010).

Festivals:

• Mexico International Film Festival 2010 (Rosarito, Mexico, May 2010);
• 11th Havana Film Festival New York – Official Selection (New York, April 2010);
• 9th Picture This...International Disability Film Festival (Calgary, Canada, February 2010).

Award

• Golden Palm Award – Mexico International Film Festival 2010 (Rosarito, Mexico, May 2010).

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