Tropical Utopia

Feature Documentary • Brazil • 01h 17m • Asian Premiere

“Tropical Utopia” is a documentary that invites reflection on the political, social, and economic issues that have shaped Latin America. Often portrayed as somewhat unruly occupants of the North American backyard, the peoples of Latin America, particularly Brazil, have their civilizational proposal and struggle for independence story told by American linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky and Brazilian diplomat Celso Amorim. As both characters and observers of nearly a century of history, Chomsky and Amorim shed light on key events of this journey and seek the glimpses that point towards a fairer and more plural Latin America.

“History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”
Mark Twain

Director’s Profile

João Amorim

João Amorim is a film director who focuses on creating animation and documentaries. In 2010, he released his first feature length documentary film ”2012 – A Time for Change”, with David Lynch, Sting, Ellen Page and Gilberto Gil, among others. In 2011, Reuters News Agency named “2012” as one of the 10 films behind the Occupy Wall Street movement. João was also director of animation on “Chicago 10”, a film that opened the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and for which João was nominated for an Emmy in 2009. He worked for many years in New York as director of animation on films such as: “Footsteps in Africa”, “For the Next 7 Generations” and “Ghetto Physics”. João also worked as a professor of MA in Animation students at NYU, Parsons, and the New York Academy of Art. In 2011, he directed the series, “É Coisa Nossa!” (It’s Our Thing) starring Zeca Baleiro and that aired on the Canal Futura channel in Brazil. He also directed the documentaries “Água e Cooperação, Reflexões para um Novo Tempo” (Water and Cooperation, Reflections for a New Time), “A Voz das Avós” (The Voice of the Grandmothers) and “Agroflorestar” (Agroforestry), all of which aired on the CineBrasil TV channel. More recently, he signed off as director and producer of the new “Sesame Street”, in addition to directing the animation for “O Desafio do Elmo” (Elmo’s Challenge). He produced the series, “Manual de Sobrevivência para o Século 21” (Survival Manual for the 21st Century), starring Brazilian actor Marcos Palmeira, the animation series “Orozimba e o Oboé” (Orozimba and the Oboe), the “Bela Raízes”, starring Brazilian presenter Bela Gil, and two seasons of “Thiago & Isis”. He is finishing the documentary “Utopia Tropical”.