Miúcha, The Voice of Bossa Nova will Premiere at Bard College on April 30

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—On Sunday, April 30, the film Miúcha, The Voice of Bossa Nova will have its first public premiere at Bard College. Produced by alumnus Mostafiz ShahMohammed ’97, the film will be screened in Bard’s Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center at 4 pm, with a reception to follow until 6:30 pm. The event is cosponsored by the Office of the President, the Latin American Students Organization, and the Office of Alumni/ae Affairs. This event is free and open to the public with limited space. RSVP to reserve: https://bardian.bard.edu/register/miucha-premiere. 
 
This groundbreaking documentary, which received global recognition at Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and Rio Film Festival, explores the illustrious life of Brazilian singer Heloísa Maria Buarque de Hollanda, known by her artistic name Miúcha, and captures the story of her unique talent. 

Miúcha was often overshadowed by the male musicians in her life: she was the mother of Grammy-nominated musician Bebel Gilberto, former spouse of João Gilberto—known as the father of bossa nova—and sister of the legendary Chico Buarque. Miúcha, The Voice of Bossa Nova serves as a much-needed correction to this perspective, highlighting her life and her extraordinary contributions to the bossa nova musical genre. “Miúcha’s vibrant spirit couldn’t be held back, even as she struggled to find her own voice in a man’s world,” said Marta Sanchez, the film’s producer, CEO of FILMZ LLC, and executive director of Pragda, a leading distributor for the newest Latin American, Spanish, and Latinx cinema. “She earned unprecedented success, becoming a symbol of female resilience and a musical legend forever.”

With a stunning display of never-seen-before archival footage, photos, animation, and audio recordings, the film is an intimate exploration of the artist’s life and career as she embraced her talent as a performer and songwriter and emerged as the true voice of bossa nova.

“It is a rare and exciting opportunity to make a film with such a strong connection to Bard,” said ShahMohammed. Produced, directed, and edited by Bardians, including recent alumni/ae Hakima Alem ’21, Emanuel Castro ’22, Stela Gatti ’21, and Julie Reed ’22, the documentary is an important step towards reviving Miúcha’s musical legacy and introducing a new audience to her original work. “Building on Bard’s exceptional focus on critical thinking and creativity, we want this film to inspire the next generation of artists and activists to become the voices of change, addressing the most pressing issues of equity.”

 
About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in more than 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 13 programs; eight early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.  


 

This event was last updated on 04-18-2023

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