Entertainment and Events

Performing Arts

Due to its status as the nation’s capital, Brasília [1] receives the best of national and international musicians, theatrical productions, and dance companies. Aside from the Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro [2] (Eixo Monumental/W3 Norte, tel. 61/3325-2216), other major performing venues include the Academia de Tênis’s swanky Americel Hall (Setor de Clubes Sul, Lt. 1B, tel. 61/3316-6261) and the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (SCES, trecho 2, Lt. 22, tel. 61/3310-7087, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., www.bb.com.br/cultura [3]), a Niemeyer-designed cultural center that also hosts art exhibitions and screens films.

For more information, check out the cultural listings in the daily Correio Brasiliense newspaper.

Cinema

Brasília [1] is a surprisingly fertile place for cinephiles. It hosts two major film festivals: the Festival Internacional de Cinema (www.ficbrasilia.com.br [4]), in early December, and the Festival de Brasília de Cinema Brasileiro (www.sc.df.gov.br [5]), in November. Films are screened at the Cine Academia (Setor de Clubes Sul, Lt. 1B, tel. 61/3316-6374, www.cineacademia.com.br [6]), a fantastic complex at the Academia de Tênis with 12 screens devoted to independent and art films, along with a charming restaurant and bar.

Cine Brasília (EQ Sul, 106-107, tel. 61/3244-1660, www.sc.df.gov.br [5]) is a government-operated cinematheque that screens art and repertory films at subsidized prices. Designed by Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1960, it boasts a big screen, a modernist lobby, and very comfy seating.