This text by Ismail Xavier was originally published in the book Estudos de Cinema 2000 SOCINE, edited by Fernão Pessoa Ramos, Maria Dora Mourão, Afrânio Catani and José Gatti (Porto Alegre: Sulina, 2001, pp. 78-98). It is reproduced here, in a revised form, due to its historical importance in the context of the retomada, i.e. the return of national film production, which took place from the ...