SAO PAULO -- Brazilian author Marcelo Rubens Paiva happily swung his wheelchair from side to side, dancing with thousands of Carnival revelers there to celebrate him and his work. Seconds later, an unidentified man showed Paiva his middle finger, then threw a beer can and a backpack that hit him in the head. Paiva, a popular author in Brazil for four decades, has had intense days and exchanges since the movie based on his 2015 book “I'm Still Here” became a box-office success.
The film, a rare blockbuster in the South American nation, garnered three Oscar nominations ahead of the awards ceremony Sunday . While millions of Brazilians love the story for its long-overdue truth-telling about the country’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, others see it as left-wing propaganda. Paiva has been dismayed at the outpouring of hatred, mostly online, directed at him.
“It is simply (our) history being told in the way we believe it must be told, the way our family lived it, so it never happens again,” Paiva, 65, told The Associated Press in his Sao Paulo apartment. “I assure you that some of those on the far-right or on the right have watched it and maybe changed their opinion.” “I’m Still Here” is up for best picture and best international feature, while Fernanda Torres, who portrayed Paiva's mother Eunice, is competing for best actress.
The film centers on the disappearance of Rubens Paiva, the author's father, and Eunice's decadeslong quest to force authorities to co.
