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Brazilian director Fellipe GamaranoBarbosa is thrilled to announce the North American premiere of his film Gabriel and the Mountain (‘Gabriel e a montanha’) at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Gabriel and the Mountain had its World Premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. The film won the prestigious France 4 Visionary Award (Prix Révélation France 4), Gan Foundation Support for Distribution Award (Prix Fondation Gan a la Diffusion) and was nominated for the Critics’ Week Grand Prize (Semaine de la Critique). The Vancouver screenings are October 2^nd at 8:30 PM and October 3^rd at 2:00 PM. (www.viff.org)
With rave film reviews by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline Gabriel and the Mountain is based on a true story of Barbosa’s school friend, Gabriel Buchmann, who traveled to Africa and died on the slopes of Malawi’s Mount Mulanje in 2009. Barbosa recreates his friend’s journey in this warm-hearted feature with the help of men and women who met Gabriel along the way. This movie is a tribute – a gift, really – to his dear friend. “Because death is not only sad, tragic, and painful – it’s also the greatest mystery of life. It makes us stronger to look at it,” says Barbosa.

Thanks to the performance by actor João Pedro Zappa (Auto Exposure, Eden, Ressaca), who deserves a great deal of credit for making Gabriel so vibrant. He gives Gabriel an authentic charm and depth. Opposite Zappa, Caroline Abras (Something Like That, If Nothing Else Works Out) plays Cristina, Gabriel’s girlfriend at the time. Cristina travelled through Tanzania and Zambia with Gabriel during his African journey. Barbosa and his actors do a beautiful job of investing audience emotions in Gabriel’s joy for a sense of brotherhood, his hunger for new experiences and his love for Cristina.

Determined to research poverty experientially far away from his comfortable Rio de Janeiro upbringing, Gabriel lived cheaply, explored widely and attempted to give away 80% of his daily budget to those in need. The most immediately striking element of Gabriel’s personality is his sense of urgency, as his outsize appetite matches his impatience to achieve his goals. His eagerness often drifts from well meaning but naïve to arrogant but passionate, serving as a shrewd light comic skewering of traveler stereotypes.

Barbosa took to astounding lengths to make this film happen. Retracing the steps of his friend’s journey was no easy feat: from finding the people who interacted with Gabriel from eight years earlier, working partially with a non-professional cast and to tackling what was clearly a complex production, shooting in various countries in Africa and in locations that aren’t always easily accessible.

Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa was born in Rio de Janeiro, he directed the short films La Muerte es pequeña and Salt Kiss, selected at NYFF, Clermont-Ferrand, Guadalajara and Sundance. In 2008, he developed the screenplay of Casa Grande at the Sundance labs; the film premiered at Rotterdam’s competition in 2014. Gabriel e a montanha (Gabriel and the Mountain) is his second fiction feature.

Fellipe Barbosa will be in Vancouver from October 1st to October 3rd and available for interviews. The screening on October 2nd is at 8:30pm at the Vancity Theatre and at the Cineplex Odeon International Village cinemas on October 3rd is at 2pm. Gabriel and the Mountain will open in theatres in Vancouver and Toronto on November 10^th, 2017.

For all media requests, information, interviews and photos please contact:

Lesley Diana | lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575

For Canadian Distribution opportunities please contact

Maison 4:3 – Claire Guidicelli | Director of Distribution | Claire@maison4tiers.com | phone: 438-387-1547

Gabriel and the Mountain – Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdA1c1ujTs8

Links

http://www.semainedelacritique.com/en/edition/2017/movie/gabriel-e-a-montanha

Film Reviews

Variety

http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/gabriel-and-the-mountain-review-1202439773/

Hollywood Reporter