Brazilian National Film Archive Destroyed by Fire After Government Takeover
A devastating fire ravaged the warehouse of the Cinemateca Brasileira in São Paulo, incinerating 250,000 film reels, which included significant modernist works and early television footage. This tragedy occurred after the federal government, led by President Jair Bolsonaro, took over in August 2020, resulting in staff layoffs and a lack of oversight for the collection, despite prior fire risk warnings. São Paulo's Governor João Doria criticized the incident as a sign of negligence, asserting it demonstrates 'contempt for the art and memory of Brazil.' The Workers' Party accused Bolsonaro of implementing a 'policy of destruction.' This incident is part of a troubling trend of fires affecting Brazilian cultural institutions, such as the 2018 blaze at Rio de Janeiro's National Museum. The Cinemateca Brasileira was established in 1940.
Key facts
- Fire destroyed Cinemateca Brasileira's warehouse in São Paulo's west zone
- Archive contained 250,000 film reels including modernist masterpieces and cinema novo works
- Brazil's federal government took over the institution in August 2020
- All staff were dismissed after government takeover
- São Paulo Governor João Doria condemned the fire as negligence
- Workers' Party blamed President Jair Bolsonaro's policies
- Follows pattern of fires at Brazilian cultural institutions including 2018 National Museum fire
- Previous fires occurred under presidents Dilma Rousseff, Lula da Silva, and Michel Temer
Entities
Artists
- Jair Bolsonaro
- João Doria
- Dilma Rousseff
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
- Michel Temer
Institutions
- Cinemateca Brasileira
- Workers' Party (PT)
- National Museum
- Butantan Institute
- Museum of Portuguese Language
- Museum of Natural Sciences
- Natural History Museum
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro
- Belo Horizonte