Niterói becomes 1st century Rome in the new film from the director of “Our House”

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The film will tell the life of Chico Xavier’s spiritual mentor for two thousand years, passing through ancient Rome, the Galilee of Jesus and the Italy of Francisco de Assis, until arriving in Brazil, in Uberaba, the city of Minas Gerais where the Brazilian medium lived. On Wednesday, anyone who was in the fortress was actually in 1st century Italy.

To bring to life the scenes from the time of Christ, two of the main historical monuments of Niterói were chosen: the Fortaleza de Santa Cruz and the Forte São Luiz, both located in Jurujuba. The recordings reveal the potential of both spaces as cinematic locations. Assis explains how Niterói was chosen to serve as the setting for part of the recordings:

— Our film depicts many years of history, so we had an absurd need to research historical points around Rio. And one of the places we found was the fortress, a very interesting site from the 16th century.

The place has already been the filming location for two other productions of the director “Kardec”, in which the location is transformed into a small piece of Barcelona; and “Our Home,” a feature film based on the book of the same name by medium Chico Xavier. Assis comments on the importance of having this type of structure for filming:

— Each story requires a type of location, a type of artistic direction. It’s great to have this available to us so close to the city where we work. In the case of the Fortress, if we have stories set in centuries past, we don’t even need visual effects to help us.

Clara Rocha, the artistic director of the film, explains that to represent a period of two thousand years ago, as is the case in “Emmanuel”, you need historically preserved environments.

— We looked for these buildings which have a truth, which have this history between the walls and which bring this memory that it is not possible to produce inside a studio — he explains.

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According to Clara, although the Santa Cruz Fortress dates back to 1500, its stone architecture makes it suitable for 1st century Rome, where the film begins.

— We need this materiality, this soil, this stone, this texture that time has brought to spaces. The research carried out to choose these scenarios is entirely focused on this materiality — he emphasizes.

The fortress is a heritage site classified by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), and therefore, during recording, no part of the decor could be altered or damaged. Clara says this was one of the biggest challenges for her and the whole team:

— Working on a listed heritage site requires a strong dose of creativity. The biggest challenge is adapting the scenario without being able to change anything in the structure. The solution is to use stands that fit perfectly into the scene.

In his different incarnations, the main character comes to life through different performers, including Edson Celulari, Marcelo Serrado, Leonardo Medeiros, Rafael Infante, Guilherme Magon and Mouhamed Harfouch. Also in the cast are Juliana Paiva, Natallia Rodrigues and Emílio Orciollo Netto.

In an interview with GLOBO-Niterói, Juliana Paiva reveals how recording in a historical setting facilitates immersion into the character:

— You come to a place like that and you don’t need much to feel like you did at that moment. The energy, the beauty, the weight of History, we drink from this source. It then becomes much easier to carry out our work.

Juliana, who has family in Niterói, admitted that she had never visited the place and took the opportunity to explore the place.

— It’s very beautiful here, isn’t it? Between one scene and another, I go out to photograph, get to know each other, take a walk. It’s a privilege to work in a historic place like this,” he says.

Actor Rafael Infante agrees that performing in an outdoor environment, rather than a closed studio, helps bring more life to the show.

— The actor’s materials are imagination and fantasy. So the exterior definitely helps bring emotion to the scene. The place has a different energy, it’s impressive — he says.

Infante, who has roots in the city, since his parents lived in Ingá, wanted to emphasize the feeling of working in Niterói.

— I have the feeling of being at home, in fact, I feel really good here — comments the actor.

Clara highlights the importance of using these spaces:

— I think the most important thing is to value what is old, what has a history. So, when we record films in these environments, we also bring them visibility and preserve part of our History.