Lira Paulistana
SYNOPSIS
Feature-length | 97’ | color | 35mm/DCP | Brazil | 2012Between 1979 and 1986, a small theater in the heart of São Paulo became the epicenter of a movement that redefined Brazil’s cultural landscape. This documentary reconstructs, with tenderness and historical precision, the trajectory of Lira Paulistana — more than just a stage, it was a space for invention and experimentation that welcomed key figures of the so-called Vanguarda Paulista (São Paulo Avant-garde). Through testimonies from artists, technicians, collaborators, and dreamers who gave life to the space, the film reveals the far-reaching influence of Lira beyond music: its engagement with journalism, independent publishing, visual arts, and collective creation turned it into a symbol of creative resistance. Directed by Riba de Castro, one of Lira’s founders, the film is both a dive into the past and a nod to future generations who seek, in the convergence of art and politics, a way to exist.
CREDITS
Direction and original concept Riba de Castro
Production Pirata Creative
Co-production Busca Vida Filmes, TV Cultura
Editing Fernando Honesko, Riba de Castro
Cinematography Tiago Tambelli, Rafael Varandas
Camera Renato Chiapetta, Thais Taverna, André Uba
Camera assistants Peterson Lomovtov “Bocão”, Fernando Augusto, Fernanda Faya
Production assistants Roberto Rocha, Sônia Monfil Cardona
Making of Claudio Cruz
Workflow and camera support DCINE Cinematografia Digital
Production base, transcode and storage Crocodilo Filmes
Graphics Ton Song – O2 Filmes
Color grading and image finishing Douglas Terciano
Audio correction and sound editing Claudio Avino
Executive production Julia Bock
Archival research Nadja and José Leite
In memory Plínio Chaves, Itamar Assumpção, Gigante Brasil, Ciça Tuccori, Edu Rocha, Claudio Favieri, Redson Pozzi, Glauco Villas Boas, Rui de Sousa Dias, Relton Fracalossi
Special thanks Li An, Luciana Corral, Luciano Tambelli
RIBA DE CASTRO
Riba de Castro is a visual artist, filmmaker, and one of the founders of Teatro Lira Paulistana, where he oversaw the visual programming and created album covers and books during the theater’s most culturally vibrant years. Founder of Pirata-Estúdio de Arte and the Piratacreative brand, Riba produced films, projections, and hybrid performances across Brazil and Spain. He directed several short films, including Território Livre, Um romano em Barcelona, and Viver não é necessário, o necessário é criar. Between 2004 and 2008, he worked as an assistant director at TV-5 in Madrid. In 2012, he returned to Lira to direct the feature film that celebrates and documents its living history: Lira Paulistana and the São Paulo Avant-garde. In 2014, he published the book Lira Paulistana – A Basement Delirium.
