Join us on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟭, at 𝟭𝟵.𝟬𝟬, in 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗸𝘄𝗲𝗴 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 for the opening film of the 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹: 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘀 (𝗢𝗿𝗳𝗲𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗼)! Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Black Orpheus is a timeless classic that brings the music, energy, and spirit of Carnaval to the big screen. The film's vibrant portrayal of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval captures the transformative power of music, dance, and community.
With an introduction by Brazilian media scholar 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘃𝗼𝗮 and the short films Pavilhao (2025, 13', Brazil) and 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 (2025, 10', Brazil, sneak preview!).
𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘀 (𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺)
Date: Friday, July 11, 2025
Time: 19.00 (doors open: 18.45)
Venue: Melkweg Cinema
Title: Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro)
Year: 1959
Director: Marcel Camus
Country: Brazil, France and Italy
Duration: 100'
Language: Portuguese with English subtitles
Extra: The short films 𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗵𝗮𝗼 (2025, 13', Brazil) and 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 (2025, 10', Brazil, sneak preview!)
Extra: Introduction by Brazilian media and tourism scholar 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘃𝗼𝗮
More info & tickets:
https://bit.ly/carnaval-film-festival-2025-black-orpheus (soon available)
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘀
Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) transports the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to the vibrant hillsides of Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval. Against a backdrop of pulsating samba, dazzling costumes, and a city alive with rhythm, the film tells the story of Orfeu, a charismatic tram driver and talented musician, who falls in love with the shy and beautiful Eurydice. As they navigate a love that blooms amid the chaos and ecstasy of Carnaval, their story unfolds with an air of inevitability, as fate, myth, and the timeless dance of life and death intertwine. Black Orpheus is a visual and musical celebration of Brazilian culture, yet also a reflection on love, loss, and the power of storytelling. Its blend of music, color, and folklore set the stage for a film, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, that has captivated audiences worldwide for over six decades. A perfect opening film for the Carnaval Film Festival, Black Orpheus invites you to immerse yourself in a cinematic experience where myth meets reality, and where joy and tragedy are inseparable.
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
The Carnaval Film Festival invites you to an extraordinary weekend of films that celebrate the power and spirit of Carnaval in all its vibrant forms. Held for the first time in Amsterdam from July 11-13, this unique festival explores how Carnaval has inspired filmmakers around the world to tell stories of joy, resistance, community, and freedom. From the dazzling parades of Rio de Janeiro and Port of Spain to the rhythmic expressions of the Caribbean and Africa and the Prince Carnaval traditions of the Netherlands and Belgium, Carnaval is a global phenomenon, rooted in history, culture and community. The inaugural Carnaval Film Festival honors the creativity, resilience, and complexity of these traditions, while asking urgent questions about culture, identity, and belonging in a changing world.
The festival program features 6 on-location film screenings in Amsterdam the weekend of July 11-13 as well as an extensive online film program with 50+ curated titles on Carnaval available wordwide from July 11-21. From the opening night screening of Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus) on Rio's Carnaval, often called 'The Greatest Show on Earth, to contemporary documentaries and shorts on Carnaval from across the globe, particularly from the Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, Cuba, Grenada, Curaçao, and the Bahamas), but also from New Orleans, London, Rotterdam, Best and Aalst, the Carnaval Film Festival offers a cinematic journey into the heart of the roots and rhythms of Carnaval worldwide.
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆
Caribbean Creativity is an Amsterdam-based non-profit organization that, since 2008, is committed to the programming and promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed cinema in the Netherlands. Over the years, Caribbean Creativity has hosted over 300 screenings in film theatres and at film festivals, including numerous premieres. In 2020, they hosted their first film festival, the Marley75 Film Festival, in Melkweg Cinema and various other venues across Amsterdam. That very same year, they launched YardVibes, a streaming platform featuring content from independent Caribbean and African filmmakers, where they offer over 100 titles and host online film programs, such as the annual Global Extraction Film Festival (2020-2022). The Carnaval Film Festival marks the second on-location film festival they are organizing. For more information, visit www.caribbeancreativity.nl.
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰
Africadelic is a non-profit organization that, since 2016, is committed to the programming and promotion of African and African diasporic cultural creativity, diversity and activism in the Netherlands. Each year on and around International Africa Day (May 25), they organize the Africacadelic Festival in Paradiso and various other partner venues across Amsterdam. This year, the 10th edition of the festival was held from May 21-31, 2025, with a special focus on the 50th anniversary of independence (1975) of five African countries (Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé & Príncipe, and the Comoros) as well as Suriname. In addition, they are (co-)organizing one-off events throughout the year, including the inaugural Carnaval Film Festival. For more information, visit www.africadelic.com.
You may also like the following events from Caribbean Creativity:
Also check out other
Entertainment events in Amsterdam,
Festivals in Amsterdam,
Music events in Amsterdam.
