Cult film industry company Spamflix launches “Cinema of Desire” at Lyon’s International Film Classic Marche (MIFC). This is an ambitious restoration project in collaboration with Cinemateca Brasileira that will restore a lost part of Brazilian film history.
The Lisbon-based platform is showcasing a 4K restoration of O Olho Mágico do Amor (1982), the first in a trilogy by Icaro Martins and José Antonio García, within MIFC’s Re>Birth program, a showcase of heritage titles seeking restoration and distribution partners.
“This is the first market we’re showcasing this project in, so it’s very special,” Spamflix co-founder Julia Duarte told Variety. “These films are part of a movement ahead of its time, born out of Brazil’s desire for freedom under its dictatorship.”
Set in São Paulo’s seedy Boca do Rixo district, “The Magic Eye of Love” tells the story of Vera, a secretary who discovers a hole in the wall of her office leading to a hotel room next door occupied by prostitutes, which awakens her fantasies and changes her life forever.
The film, which won several awards, was the beginning of the so-called Desire Trilogy, completed by Onda Nova (1983) and Naked Star (Estrella Nua, 1985), and which will include García’s fourth solo film, The Body (1991). All four films have been digitized by Cinematica Brasileira.
The Cinema of Desire project reconsiders São Paulo’s New Cinema (Novo Cinema Paulista) movement, a short-lived but influential wave of independent filmmaking that emerged in the early 1980s. Duarte said the film grew out of the “pornochanchada” films, a popular genre at the end of Brazil’s dictatorship that combined eroticism and comedy, but rejected sexist moralism. “This was so much more than that,” she said. “They gave a voice to women. Even though they are not well known in Brazil, these films played an important role in Brazilian cinema,” she added, adding that her goal after this project is to continue highlighting the work of marginalized Brazilian directors.
Produced at a time when Brazil’s dictatorship was losing its grip, these films indirectly fought against oppression, turning sensuality into an act of defiance. Duarte considers their work Brazil’s answer to the early (Pedro) Almodovar, combining the freedom, humor, and emotional excess of Spain’s Movida Madrileña with Brazil’s unique urban and political tensions.
The movement itself was short-lived, as local exhibitors preferred imported titles and commercial pornography. After the dissolution of state-run distribution company Embrafilm in 1990, domestic film production all but collapsed, silencing generations of filmmakers.
The project builds on the momentum of Onda Nova, a queer erotic comedy about female soccer players confronting prejudice under Brazil’s dictatorship. A 4K restored version of the film premiered at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival and was subsequently screened at film festivals in Europe and Latin America. It was released theatrically in Brazil in March of this year and has just signed a U.S. distribution deal with Brooklyn-based Muscle Distribution.
“‘Onda Nova’ is exactly the kind of movie that Muscle loves: relatable and fun, but also evil, subversive and truly dangerous for its time,” Muscle founder Elizabeth Purchell told Variety. “We’re excited to work with Spamflix to bring this to North American audiences for the first time.”
Duarte and her partner Markus Dufner plan to premiere Cinema of Desire in Brazil next year, then screen it at festivals and cinematheques to coincide with the 20th anniversary of José Antonio García’s death and what would have been his 70th birthday.
For Spamflix, best known as a former VOD platform focused on cult and avant-garde films, Cinema of Desire marks an important step into the world of film heritage and rights management.
“For us, it’s the same idea,” Duarte explained. “Through our work, we are now also working to preserve our film heritage, providing a tangible representation of unique works that deserve to be seen again.”
“The Magic Eye of Love” is one of nine films to be screened as part of MIFC’s ReBirth program on October 19th.
MICC will be held from October 14th to October 14th in parallel with Lyon’s Lumière Film Festival. 19.
