Anna Mariani: Photographic Notes explores the work of photographer Anna Mariani (1935-2022), focusing on the unique architecture of the Brazilian northeastern hinterland. The documentary retraces the dirt roads the artist followed between the 1970s and 1990s, when she published her most famous works and helped an entire country rediscover the richness of the facades of popular houses as a phenomenon of visual perception and cultural identity.

The film revisits the paths Anna Mariani took to create two landmark series in contemporary Brazilian photography: Pinturas e Platibandas (Paintings and Facades, 1987) and Paisagens, impressões: o semi-árido brasileiro(Landscapes, Impressions: The Brazilian Semi-Arid, 1992).  The journey is guided by Anna Mariani herself, voiced by Regina Casé, with texts by Lina Bo Bardi, Caetano Veloso, Ariano Suassuna, and Jean Baudrillard read by Tom Zé, João Miguel, and others.

A discreet woman who didn’t like the title of photographer, Anna Mariani created a series of iconic photographs of northeastern Brazil that enchanted museums and galleries in various countries. Her work was presented at the 19th São Paulo Biennial, highlighting the artistic nature of her photography.

The Director

Alberto Renault was born in 1963 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rotten TomatoesWikipedia He is a multifaceted Brazilian artist working as a writer, screenwriter, set designer, and director for theater and television. Since 1997, Renault has directed numerous operas and theatrical productions, including A Violação de Lucrécia, Voz Humana, L'Orfeu, Salomé, Pedro e o Lobo, and Fidelio. These productions have been presented at prestigious national venues such as the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro and Sala Cecília Meireles. His version of Voz Humana starring Renata Scotto was also presented at Teatro Regio di Torino in Turin, Italy. As a writer, Renault has published three novels: A Foto (2003), Moko no Brasil (2006), and Sr. R (2009). In television, Renault has created and directed numerous programs for Canal GNT, including the series Arte Brasileira (Brazilian Art, 2014), filmed in museums worldwide such as the Guggenheim Bilbao and Victoria and Albert Museum, profiling Brazilian artists like Beatriz Milhazes, Adriana Varejão, and Ernesto Neto. He also created and directs Casa Brasileira, a documentary program in its tenth edition that portrays Brazilian lifestyle, architecture, and design featuring architects like Paulo Mendes da Rocha and Isay Weinfeld. His program Palavras em Série, created and directed for Canal GNT with actresses Andrea Beltrão, Regina Casé, Lilia Cabral, Monica Iozzi, and Camila Pitanga, was nominated for the International Emmy Awards in 2018 in the Arts Programming category.He received the Prêmio Shell (2009) for Best Set Design for the play Dois Irmãos.