Bid for a Cause: Support MOSTRA XVII Through Our Silent Auction

Every year, the MOSTRA Brazilian Film Festival brings powerful stories to Chicago, connecting audiences with films that inspire dialogue, celebrate Brazilian culture, and explore important social issues. As we prepare for MOSTRA XVII, we’re inviting our community to be part of something that extends beyond the screen — a Silent Auction that helps make this incredible event possible.

Whether you’re a longtime supporter of Partners of the Americas São Paulo–Illinois or discovering MOSTRA for the first time, the auction offers a fun and meaningful way to contribute while taking home something special.

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Why a Silent Auction?

As a nonprofit organization, Partners of the Americas São Paulo–Illinois relies on the generosity of our community to expand educational, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges between Brazil and the United States.

Funds raised through the Silent Auction directly support the organization of MOSTRA XVII Brazilian Film Festival, helping us continue our mission of promoting Brazilian cinema, fostering cultural understanding, and creating opportunities for filmmakers and audiences to engage in conversations about social consciousness.

Every bid helps bring meaningful stories to life.

Discover Unique Items

Our online Silent Auction features a thoughtfully curated collection of items donated by members of our community and generous supporters. Bidders will find:

  • Brazilian handcrafted gifts
  • Fine crystal and decorative serving pieces
  • Traditional Japanese and Korean tableware
  • Handmade wooden coasters and artisan accessories
  • Children’s gift sets
  • Brazilian fashion items
  • Original Brazilian cultural pieces, including a feathered headpiece
  • Home and lifestyle items

With starting bids beginning as low as $10, there’s something for every budget—and every purchase supports a great cause.

Easy to Participate

Joining the auction is simple:

  1. Go to our Silent Auction website.
  2. Register online to bid.
  3. Browse the available items.
  4. Place your bids on your favorite pieces.
  5. Check back throughout the auction to see if you’ve been outbid.
  6. Win unique items while supporting cultural programming in our community.

The auction will remain open through November 30, 2026, giving everyone plenty of time to participate.

Celebrate Brazilian Cinema

MOSTRA XVII will take place in Chicago from November 7–21, 2026, continuing its tradition of presenting films that spark conversation and celebrate Brazil’s rich artistic diversity. This year’s festival will once again showcase compelling stories under the theme of “Films with Social Conscience.”

Every auction bid helps make this celebration of Brazilian cinema possible. Join now.

Join Us

Your participation is more than a bid—it’s an investment in cultural exchange, education, and the arts.

Whether you’re bidding on a handcrafted keepsake, a unique gift, or a beautiful piece for your home, you’ll be helping Partners of the Americas São Paulo–Illinois continue building bridges between Brazil and Illinois through programs like MOSTRA.

Browse the Silent Auction, place your bids, and help us make MOSTRA XVII our most successful festival yet.

Thank you for supporting Brazilian culture, independent filmmaking, and the power of international partnership. We look forward to seeing you—online at the auction and in Chicago this November for MOSTRA XVII Brazilian Film Festival.

JOIN NOW

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Fundraiser for our 16th Anniversary

We will be celebrating our 16th Anniversary this coming November and raising funds to enable us to make a difference and further our cause of bringing Brazilian Films with Social Conscience to the USA. To meet new challenges, we’ve set a goal of US$10,000 for this campaign. With your help, MOSTRA, through the Illinois-Sao Paulo Partners of the Americas, can reach this goal and continue the work we’ve set out to do.  Every donation makes a difference. Please help us raise the necessary funds to continue bringing this worthwhile program.

MOSTRA is the largest Brazilian film festival in the Midwest. The annual event’s motto is “Brazilian Films with Social Conscience,” and it has as its venues many educational and cultural institutions in the greater Chicago area and other cities in the Midwest. The program was founded by Ariani Friedl in 2010.

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MOSTRA XVI is coming!

We are thrilled to present the 16th edition of MOSTRA: Brazilian Film Festival this November 2025 — a celebration of Brazilian cinema with social conscience.

As the only Brazilian film festival in the U.S. Midwest, MOSTRA continues to be a proudly volunteer-led initiative. Founded in Chicago, it has expanded its presence across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, bringing thought-provoking films to diverse communities throughout the region.

Since its inception, MOSTRA has remained dedicated to showcasing the richness and complexity of Brazilian culture, through stories that highlight our country’s environment, history, literature, politics, and social movements. Now in its sixteenth year, the festival remains a vital platform for dialogue, discovery, and cultural connection.

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Chicago-based MOSTRA: Brazilian Film Festival Returns with a Fresh Lineup of Compelling Films

Chicago, IL (October 2024) – The 15th edition of the MOSTRA: Brazilian Film Festival, the largest Brazilian film event in the Midwest, runs from November 2 to November 16, 2024, showcasing an exciting selection of feature films and documentaries from Brazil. This year’s festival expands its footprint to include venues across Chicago and several cities in Indiana, providing audiences a unique window into Brazil’s culture, politics, and social issues through the power of film.

Opening and Closing Nights at Instituto Cervantes in Chicago

MOSTRA XV kicks off on November 1st at 6:15 pm (reception begins at 5:00 pm) with a screening of Pictures of Ghosts (Retratos Fantasmas) at Instituto Cervantes in Chicago. This evocative documentary by internationally acclaimed director Kleber Mendonça Filho, which explores the changing landscape of Recife’s downtown through its historic cinemas, was an Official Selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

The festival’s closing night is on November 16th with Aunt Virginia (Tia Virgínia), a 2022 film directed by Fabio Meira that follows the life of a 70-year-old woman navigating complex family dynamics as she prepares for an emotionally charged Christmas gathering with her sisters.

Screenings Across Illinois and Indiana

This year’s screenings will take place at various educational and cultural institutions across Chicago and Indiana, with free access to the public (except for opening and closing nights). Highlights include Servitude (Servidão), a documentary look at contemporary slave labor in Northern Brazil, on November 6 at Loyola Chicago, Stories of Samba (Saudosa Maloca) on November 12th at the Indianapolis Arts Center, is a biopic about Brazilian samba singer Adoniran Barbosa, who rose to national fame in the 1950’s.

Films will also be shown at Purdue University in Indiana. Check mostrafilmfestival.org/xv for the full lineup.

Feature films, documentaries, and shorts

This year’s program showcases a diverse range of feature films and documentaries. The much-anticipated Grande Sertão, directed by Guel Arraes, will be among the feature films.  An epic adaptation of Guimarães Rosa’s classic book, the film explores themes of love, loyalty, and survival in the harsh backlands of Brazil’s Northeast. The Battle (A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia), directed by Vera Egito, recounts a pivotal moment during the Brazilian dictatorship of 1968, when students clashed violently with military forces in São Paulo.

Other documentaries during the film festival will cover themes ranging from modern Brazilian art to contemporary labor issues. A must-see documentary is Daniela Broitman’s film on legendary Brazilian musician Dorival Caymmi, offering a sensory journey into the heart of Bahian culture. Fictional and documentary shorts will also be shown.

Since its inception, MOSTRA has been a platform in Chicago for promoting Brazilian culture through cinema, reflecting the richness of Brazil’s social and political landscape. The festival has grown to become a cornerstone event for the Brazilian community and for movie lovers in the Midwest.

But the MOSTRA film festival is about more than entertainment, says MOSTRA’s founder and director Ariani Friedl. “We are thrilled to celebrate our 15th year, with another edition of MOSTRA in Illinois and Indiana.  Our films this year are engaging and entertaining but also provide important commentary on the social challenges that Brazil and many other countries face today,” says Ariani.

The festival is supported by United Airlines, the Brazilian Consulate General in Chicago, several universities, including DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern, Purdue, University of Chicago, UIC, and other cultural and educational institutions. MOSTRA XV is organized by the Illinois and São Paulo chapters of Partners of the Americas.

For more details, including the full schedule of films, visit: mostrafilmfestival.org/xv 

 

Contact

Ariani A. G. Friedl

MOSTRA Founder and Director

Cell: (708) 347-1880

E-mail: ariani@mostrafilmfestival.org

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