In April 2024, the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies presented a special screening of the film, Meu nome é Bagdá (directed by Caru Alves de Souza). In this Q&A, we interview Caru about the casting skateboarders and her collaborative process of making a coming of age story.

On February 6, the Behner Stiefel Crenter for Brazilian Studies presented a special screening of the documentary, We Are Guardians (directed by Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman). In this Q &A, the directors discuss the story of hope and resilience amidst an unfolding crisis in the Brazilian Amazon and make recommendations on how to get involved.

On November 7, the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies presented a special screening of the documentary, The Mother of All Stuggles (directed by Susanna Lira, 2021). In October, amidst a contentious election season, Kristal Bivona met with Lira and the film's two protagonists, Shirley Krenak and Maria Zelzuita. In this extended Q&A, they discuss the impact the film has had on their struggles, share what has happened since the film was produced, and discuss the importance of women's leadership in their movements.

In October 2022, the SDSU Brazilian Film Series screened the documentary, Stories Our Cinema Did (Not) Tell, by Fernanda Pessoa. In this Q&A, we interview Pessoa about her film, the importance of memory, and her activism during this election season.

In April 2022, the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies and the School of Theatre, Television, and Film at SDSU co-sponsored an on-campus screening of the 2019 film, Bacurau, during Glenn Heath's "History of Film Classics 2" course. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Bacurau's director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and producer, Emilie Lesclaux.

In March 2022, the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies partnered with the San Diego Latino Film Festival to bring Susanna Lira to San Diego to visit SDSU classes and support her film, The Mother of All Struggles, as part of the official selection of the festival. To prepare for her visit, we includes another of Lira's recent films, Maiden's Tower, in the SDSU Brazilian Film Series and interviewed her.

Thomaz Pedro is a documentary filmmaker, professor, and researcher. A director and photographer in the audiovisual market, Pedro directed the short documentaries Tião Paineira (2012), Osiba Kangamuke (2016), Terminal 3 (2017), and Surará: a fight for the Tupinambá land (2017), which were shown in different festivals in Brazil and abroad. His films have been recognized at the Sesc Film Festival, Festival Visões Periféricas, among others.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies interviewed Ana Luiza Azevedo in October 2021 to discuss her feature film, Aos olhos de Ernesto, which was screened at SDSU's Language Acquisition Resource Center's Foreign Language Film Night in collaboration with the SDSU Brazilian Film Series in October. In the interview, Azevedo talks about her initiation into the film industry after beginning a career as an art teacher, the pattern of migration and cultural exchange between Brazil and Uruguay in Porto Alegre, and the current state of the Brazilian film industry as the world begins to open amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies interviewed Shinji Shiozaki in September 2021 to discuss his documentary, Imaterial, which was screened as the inaugural film of the third year of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series. In the interview, the filmmaker talks about his experiences as a skater growing up in the Amazonian city of Belém do Pará and the making of his film, which examines the artmaking inspired by skate culture in São Paulo.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University interviewed filmmakers Glenda Nicácio and Ary Rosa in April 2021 to discuss their film, Coffee with Cinnamon, and the movement of filmmakers making cinema from the perspective of the Brazilian countryside. Coffee with Cinnamon was screened in April 2021 as part of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University interviewed filmmakers Ian Abé, Jzésus Tribuzi, and Gabriel Martins in February 2021 to discuss their film O nó do diabo (The Devil's Knot), as well as their collaboration process and the horror genre's unique tools for confronting historical and contemporary injustices in cinema. The Devil's Knot was the March 2021 film of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies interviewed Christiane Torloni and Miguel Przewodowsky in January 2021 to discuss their film, Amazonia: The Awakening of Florestania, and movements in Brazil that fight against the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon. Amazonia: The Awakening of Florestania was screened in February 2021 as part of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University interviewed Maurílio Martins and Gabriel Martins in November 2020 to discuss filmmaking in Brazilian peripheries, their process as filmmakers, and their film, No coração do mundo/In the Heart of the World. In the Heart of the World was the November 2020 film of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series.To watch our virtual film series, visit the Film Series page.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University interviewed Carolina Monnerat and Teddy Collatos in September 2020 to discuss their feature-length documentary, Queen of Lapa. Queen of Lapa was the October 2020 film of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series. To watch our virtual film series, visit the Film Series page.

The Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University interviewed Lúcia Murat in September 2020 to discuss her background as a filmmaker, the future of the Brazilian film industry, and her film, Praça Paris. Praça Paris was the September 2020 film of the SDSU Brazilian Film Series.