Q & A with Bruno Barreto (Director)

Bruno Barreto is the director of O Casamento De Romeu E Julieta. Following the screening of his film, the audience participated in a Q & A session. I talked to him in and out of this forum. What follows are his opinions on various topics. Asked where his idea came for the movie, Baretto said that it was a short story that his sister had read and mentioned to him... His interest in and love for Italian neo-realism was the other part of the inspiration. As he saw it, the movie was a homage to Italian romance-comedies. And, Sao Paulo has a strong Italian flavor. Though born in Brazil, Barreto has divided the past sixteen years between New York and L.A. That shows too in his movies. Asked why he chose Brazil as a locale for his present movie, Barreto disclosed that the Brazilian government indeed provided tax incentives and a welcoming atmosphere to the movie industry. Mukul Khurana