Doctors of Joy

Documentary film about the consacrated work of a group of clowns that acts at several hospitals in Brazil.

The spirit of the Court Jester makes a come back in a movie about the revealing and unexpected way clowns look at the world.

The movie portrays the award-winning group Doctors of Joy interacting with hospitalized children, and through their work the film invites us to think about the role of Art in our lives.

What is the role of the clown in modern day society? From hospitals to corporations, factories and even the stock market, wherever he goes, he invites us to look at life from different standpoints and see what that does to our perception.

SYNOPSIS

The film “Doctors of Joy” (Doutores da Alegria) rescues the importance of powerful ancient archetype that has permeated human history from its first organizations as a society, personified in the shaman figures, Jester (able to tell the hardest truths to the king without be beheaded) and clown himself. Subversive, these artists change the default ordering of social relationships, making them laugh and think. Promoting a provocation, Wellington Nogueira, founder of the organization, questions the role of this archetype in modern society, showing that your stage is not restricted to the circus and is increasingly necessary everywhere.

With sensitivity and humor, the film transports the audience to the day to day hospitals and captures the transformation that environment caused from the clown encounter with the child. Monitors also raids this character in such disparate locations as stock exchanges, the Municipal Market and factories. Highlighting the social function of art, rescues the importance of smaller mask in the world (the red nose); and presents the unusual reasoning of these artists, able to reveal new aspects of reality with courage and irreverence. Thanks to this ability to look at situations from another perspective, gives new dimension to those relating to life.

The film tells how this new “branch of medicine”, called by the Doctors of Joy as “Besteirologia”. Brings funny scenes, constructed from the meetings; and touching testimonials of moments spent alongside the young patients, their parents and doctors. Unveils how the clowns look the other and understand the pain and loss; how let the child lead the story (improvising incessantly with grace, respect and softness); the way they handle their own ridicule and destroy pre-established hierarchies.

AWARDS 

The film Doctors of Joy received the UNESCO Seal for promoting a Culture of Peace – (United Nations organization for Education, Science and Culture).

• Special Merit Award at the II Monterrey International Film Festival – august     2006
• Best Film at the Brazilian Film Festival of New York, TRIBECA September, 2005
• Best film, Best Soundtrack and Best Actor at II FIESP/SESI-SP
• Award of Cinema Paulista – March 2006
• TV Version indicated to Emmy Awards 2005
• Special Merit Award and Best Film Award – Public’s Choice at 33^rd Festival of Gramado – September 2005
• Best Film Award – Public’s Choice at Festival de Cinema de Paraty – PARATYCINE 2005; October / 2005
• HOURS CONCOURS Exhibition at Rio International Film Festival 2005.
• HOURS CONCOURS Exhibition at Festival “It’s all true” – 2005.
• Elected by UOL website, the best documentary in 2005 according to the website users.
• Officially invited to participate at 9^th Cinema, Video Festival of Curitiba – 2005
• Specially invited to I Cinema and Environment Guararema Festival
• Latin American Contest of International Film Festival of Habana – 2005
• AFO (Academia Film Olomouc) 2004 International Competition – Czech Republic.
• Invited to participate at the next Brazilian Film Festival in Tokyo – 2006

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• “Doctors of Joy”, the film has original soundtrack, signed by the composer Arrigo Barnabé.
• During follow-up artists, they were captured images in the Children’s Institute of the Hospital das Clinicas, Faculty of Medicine, USP, Children’s Hospital, Mandaqui Hospital, Hospital Cândido Fontoura and Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. Already in Rio de Janeiro, the team followed the routine of artists in IPPMG (Hospital do Fundão).
• To perform the recordings, the cameras were covered with stuffed animals and operators dressed as clowns. So the filming was done almost invisibly: the children saw the camera crew as part of the group of artists. The film was shot on Super 16mm in interviews and DV Cam in hospitals and is 96 minutes long. There were seven weeks of filming, 33 days in hospital and 16 days with interviews, accounting for more than 130 hours of filmed material.

DOCTORS ON THE ORGANIZATION OF JOY

Founded by actor Wellington Nogueira, Joy Doctors of the organization operates in ten hospitals, five in São Paulo, two in Rio de Janeiro and three in Recife, and has visited about 350,000 hospitalized children and adolescents since 1991. Account today 35 professional actors, who receive specific training to perform with the utmost care and efficiency, their work with young patients. Innovative, is still the only organization of its kind in the world to feature a Study Center itself, responsible for researching and disseminating the acquired knowledge. Among its actions, include the production of scientific research, theses, book publishing and the partnership since 2002 with the Ministry of Health, vocational training area. All this work has been recognized by several national and international awards: in 1998 and 2000, was elected as one of 40 Best Global Practices by an international jury of the UN Habitat Division. In 2002, they were considered one of the 50 ambassadors of the Stockholm Partnership Award (Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities), Sweden.

FICHA TÉCNICA

Written and Directed by ……………………..Mara Mourão

Produced by …………………………………Mamo Filmes and Grifa Mixer

Co-Produced by……………………………Discovery Networks Latin América / Ibéria e Teleimage

Executive Production ………………….Fernando Dias

Production Coordination ………………..Maurício Dias

Production Coordination …………Tatiana Battaglia

Photography ……………….Helcio Alemão Nagamine

Editor ………………………………..Rodrigo Menecucci

Original Music …………………………Arrigo Barnabé

Sound Editing ………………………….Miriam Biderman

Mixing ………………………………….Estúdios Álamo

Sound ……………………………….Paulo Ricardo Nunes

Art …………………………Marcelo Righini

Collaboration Scriptwriter ……………….Fernando Bolognesi

Sponsored by ………………………………….CSN, Diners Club International, Iharabras, BNDES, Cabot Brasil, Petroquímica União, TYLENOL, TRW Automotive, MWM, Alba Adesivos, Equifax , Unilever, Construbase,  Atlas Transportes e Avery Dennison.

Distribuem by …………………………………Imovision