The Cinema Section of Foto Cine Clube Bandeirante: Ideals and Reality of Amateur Film Production in São Paulo, Brazil

This essay undertakes a historical investigation of the activities of Foto Cine Clube Bandeirante's cinema section during the 1940s and 1950s and the discourses surrounding amateur film practice in Brazil at the time. Through the pages of Boletim Foto-Cine, the club's official publication, we can identify how commercial narrative cinema and foreign standards were initially considered the models for amateur production. In addition, the beginning of the amateur-film contests in 1950 created a rich context for amateur practice, inspiring the production of different film genres and close attention to Brazilian culture. The connection with the international cinema-club circuit will also be highlighted, as well as the particularities concerning Brazilian amateur cine culture.