Uma sala de cinema pública: o caso da sala Lima Barreto (1982-1992)

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the first ten years in the history of the Lima Barreto movie theater at the São Paulo Cultural Center (CCSP). Such a cinema theatre has not a separate legal status, but it is rather linked to Centro Cultural São Paulo, which is part of the São Paulo Department of Cultural Affairs. Both, Centro Cultural São Paulo and its cinema theatre were inaugurated in May 1982; the former being the largest cultural center of Latin America at that moment and the latter the first cinema theatre run by the local government of São Paulo city. 1992 was the last administration year, out of four, of the leftist mayor Luiza Erundina, which had the philosopher Marilena Chauí as the head of the Department of Cultural Affairs. This was the first left government to take São Paulo’s office since the end of the dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985). The ten-year period addressed by this research comprehends the consolidation of the role of São Paulo’s public cinema theatre as an art house cinema. It also comprehends an important period of democratic transition for Brazil which determined somehow the way cultural policies were thought by the local government during such a term, undergoing both improvements and setbacks. Ultimately, this research attempted to demonstrate that, above all, Centro Cultural São Paulo’s cinema theatre is a public infrastructure, therefore any research that intends to understand its role and potential must deal with its public nature, which means, among other things, following strict legal and administrative rules and facing adversities of the politic context. On the other hand, it also means it is able to integrate a major plan of action as an instrument of inclusive and democratic policies, which can furthermore foster the cultural diversity, encouraging new audiences and the film culture (watching, reading and discussing about films).