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HANS STADEN  
Brazil - Portugal
1999 / 35 mm / Color / 92 min.

Hans Staden was a German gunner who sailed to Brazil twice on Portuguese ships. His second voyage to the New World proved disastrous, with all three ships in his party being wrecked. This film recounts how Staden himself washed up on the coast of Santa Catarina and served as a gunnery instructor for two years in a coastal Portuguese fort. Staden is about to return to Europe where he will be honoured and rewarded by the Portuguese king when one of his slaves from the Carijo tribe disappears while fishing. In January 1554 he sets out in a canoe to search for the Indian and happens upon a cross planted on the river bank; this is a signal for the Tupiniquin Indians, allies of the Portuguese. He fires a shot to call them but instead of the Tupiniquins, seven Tupinamba warriors show up. The Tupinambas are enemies of the Portuguese and they assume he is Portuguese. Knowing the Tupi language after three years in Brazil, Staden is well aware of his precarious situation. His captors, having shaved his eyebrows with glass, clearly intend to eat him. Staden attempts to convince them that he is French, who are the Tupinambas' allies, but when a Frenchman is summoned by the natives, Staden fails to understand his language. Staden changes tactics and eventually convinces the Tupinambas that he is a mystic healer. He survives for several months among the Tupinambas and finally escapes with the help of a French captain who trades Staden for a chestful of goods. Staden's account of his experiences became a best-seller in Europe and remains a primary source on the now extinct Tupinamba culture.
Script:  Luiz Alberto Pereira.    Phot.:  Ulrich Burtin.    Ed.:  Ver�nica Kovensky.    Mus.:  Marlui Miranda, Lelo Naz�rio.    Cast:  Carlos Evelyn, Darci Figueiredo, St�nio Garcia, M�rio Jacques, Cl�udia Liz, S�rgio Mamberti, Ariana Messias, Adelino Neves, Walter Portela, Beto Simas, Milton de Almeida.    Sales:  Jorge Neves, Lu�z Alberto Pereira, Lapfilme, rua Hava� 258, S�o Paulo 01259 00 (Br�sil), t�l. & fax: (11) 263-6979, e-mail: [email protected].    Sales:  Lapfilme.   
Luiz Alberto Pereira
Born in Taubat�, Brazil in 1951, Luiz Alberto Pereira has directed shorts, documentaries and features since the early '70s. His filmography includes: Monteiro Lobato (1972), O Sistema do Dr. Alcratr�o e do Prof. Pena (1973), O Jardineiro (1974), A Voz de Deus (1976), J�NIO A 24 QUADROS (1981), Salinas (1984), T� Russo (1984), Operation Brasil (1986), Ra�a na pra�a (1988), THE MAN IN THE BOX (1994) and A Ordem (1996).