Performing Arts

Due to its status as the nation’s capital, Brasília receives the best of national and international musicians, theatrical productions, and dance companies. Aside from the Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro (Eixo Monumental/W3 Norte, tel. 61/3325-2216), other major performing venues include the Academia de Tênis’s swanky Americel Hall (Setor de Clubes Sul, Lt. 1B, tel. 61/3316-6261) and the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (SCES, trecho 2, Lt. 22, tel. 61/3310-7087, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., www.bb.com.br/cultura), a Niemeyer-designed cultural center that also hosts art exhibitions and screens films.

For more information, check out the cultural listings in the daily Correio Brasiliense newspaper.

Cinema

Brasília is a surprisingly fertile place for cinephiles. It hosts two major film festivals: the Festival Internacional de Cinema (www.ficbrasilia.com.br), in early December, and the Festival de Brasília de Cinema Brasileiro (www.sc.df.gov.br), in November. Films are screened at the Cine Academia (Setor de Clubes Sul, Lt. 1B, tel. 61/3316-6374, www.cineacademia.com.br), a fantastic complex at the Academia de Tênis with 12 screens devoted to independent and art films, along with a charming restaurant and bar.

Cine Brasília (EQ Sul, 106-107, tel. 61/3244-1660, www.sc.df.gov.br) is a government-operated cinematheque that screens art and repertory films at subsidized prices. Designed by Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1960, it boasts a big screen, a modernist lobby, and very comfy seating.

© Michael Sommers from Moon Brazil, 2nd Edition