Sao Paulo (AFP)
The Brazilian presidency accused director Petra Costa of "slandering" Brazil in its documentary "A democracy in danger", Oscar-nominated and very critical of President Jair Bolsonaro, on Monday.
In a video published on her official Twitter account, the Presidency's communication secretariat believes that Petra Costa "has adopted the role of anti-Brazil activist" and questions statements made by the filmmaker on an American television channel.
Video shows extracts from these statements, where Petra Costa says that since the coming to power of Mr. Bolsonaro in January 2019 the rate of homicides committed by the police in Rio de Janeiro has increased and that the president incites the big landowners "to invade indigenous lands and burn the Amazon rainforest".
The communication secretariat has included captions in its video in which it disputes the director's statements.
Furthermore, in a series of tweets in Portuguese and English, he repeats his criticisms and adds: "It is incredible that a filmmaker can create a story full of lies and absurd predictions to denigrate a nation, simply because it do not accept the results of an election. "
"Democracy in Danger", the 36-year-old film by Petra Costa, has been available on Netflix since June and is nominated for the Oscar for best documentary. The Academy Awards take place on February 9.
This two-hour documentary recounts from a personal point of view the political events of the past few years in Brazil: the coming to power in 2003 of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the dismissal in 2016 of Dilma Rousseff, who had succeeded him to the Brazilian presidency, Lula's conviction in 2018 for corruption and the ascent of Jair Bolsonaro.
The nomination of this very political film arouses contrasting reactions in Brazil.
The far-right president has already made known his opinion on the work of Petra Costa, which he described as "pig work". "It's fiction ... For those who love vulture food, it's a good movie," he told reporters.
On the contrary, the former president of the left Lula praised the documentary. "Well done Petra Costa for the seriousness with which you recounted this important period in our history. Long live the national cinema! The truth will prevail," he tweeted.
© 2020 AFP