Brook Silva-Braga (born March 27 , 1979 ) is an American documentary film producer. He shared a Primetime Emmy Award for his production of Inside the NFL . He is best known from his documentary, A Map for Saturday , in which he produced, directed, and starred. This award-winning film is about his adventures as a backpacker for 11 months in 2005, in which he stayed in various hostels, and was released in 2007. His second film, One Day in Africa , was released in spring 2009.
Early career
Silva-Braga was born and raised in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and was a producer for HBO's Inside the NFL , for which he shared an Emmy Award. He lives in New York City.
A Map for Saturday
Making of the film
Silva-Braga quit his job with HBO "and he threw it all away" to travel around the globe for almost a year in 2005, with a video camera and equipment to record his adventures. It all started when HBO sent him to Asia for work on another story, and he discovered an underground network of backpackers, which enchanted him.
"When I got home I decided to take my own big trip," he said. "The only reason not to go was I would be sabotaging my career, so the movie was an excuse to take this big trip and not feel like I was throwing away my career."— Brook Silva Braga, as quoted by Morgan Greer.When he quit his job with HBO, his supervisor told him that, in the future, he'd only send married producers overseas. After he finished the film, he said that it had changed his outlook on life:
(T)ime and money are commodities with an inverse relationship; you need to spend one to have the other. And traveling cheap makes you realize that time is more valuable than money.— Brook Silva Bragaand
What I realized—not just about myself but about the world—is that time and money are commodities with an inverse relationship; to get one you need to spend the other. And I realized, for me, time is a more valuable commodity than money, so I’d rather hoard free time than extra money. Most travelers end up feeling the same way and its one reason why they find the return home so difficult, our society is built on the premise we should want more money so we can have more things, even if we don’t really have the free time to use those things.— Brook Silva BragaSynopsis
The film is billed as "around the world in 90 minutes." Its title describes the feeling that, "On a trip around the world, every day feels like Saturday." When "everyday is Saturday, each new person an instant best friend," you need a guide to how to deal with "always saying goodbye, and loss of connection(s)." Silva-Braga stays in hostels around the world, showing us the "hot spots" of backpacking adventure -- Australia, Southeast Asia, India, and London -- and out-of-the-way places like Brazil, Nepal, and Thailand. He was forced to pack only five pounds of clothes, because of his 30 pounds of video equipment, and stay in many hostels to save money. He interviews various hostellers and fellow travellers along the way as he investigates how and why people take long-term, budget travel.
Premiere
The documentary premiered at the 2007 Cleveland International Film Festival, where it was screened four times. This film fest is a competitive one, drawing 43,000 attendees, 950 submissions, but only 180 films screened in 250 showings; this film was screened 4 times rather than the average 1.38 times of the typical film at the festival. The Cleveland Film Society, organizers of the film festival, created a live podcast during a panel interview with him. The local affiliate of ABC interviewed him while he was in town for the film festival.
Important screenings
A Map for Saturday was screened in Paris, France, shortly after the camera Silva-Braga used to film it was stolen.
The United States affiliate of Hostelling International is also screening the film at selected universities, colleges, and public libraries through its hostel councils.
A Map for Saturday was screened on the MTV network's "True Life" series, episode 58.
Critical reception
The film has garnered mostly excellent reviews. Both blogs and professional movie critics have lauded A Map for Saturday , but it has not been uniform.
Many reviewers lauded the film. Sean Keener, CEO of BootsnAll Travel Network, wrote that it was "well done" and praised the filmmaker as "a good story teller." One blog wrote:
"A Map for Saturday," (is) a beautifully filmed, gorgeously edited, and, yes, masterfully produced documentary.... the film raises some thought-provoking questions about how long-term travel can spur self-reflection. And perhaps most interesting, "A Map for Saturday" discusses what it means to be an American traveling abroad in these fraught times.— Gridskipper BloggerAnother blogger, Jen (JK), wrote about the producer and the film this way: "He's horribly cute and quite the cad not to mention his film is really endearing and enjoyable." Another reviewer said that it was her "favorite" film at the festival. Cool Tool wrote,
Something weird happens when you travel longer than 10 days, and that wonderful transformation (which no one can explain to their family when they return) is what this superbly written, fabulously edited, deeply personal and wonderfully likeable documentary is all about."— Kevin KellyThere have been dissenting views. The indieWIRE web site reviewed the premiere at the Cleveland, claiming that "director Brook Silva-Braga, despite having incredibly honorable intentions with his backpacking documentary, A Map For Saturday, misses an opportunity to provide insight about a group of people..." Interestingly, one blogger, while praising it as "a great movie," challenged "his assertion that he feels the need to get this all done before marriage and kids because 'you can't do it then' Uh...no..you can. It's different, its certainly not mainstream..but it can be done."
Cultural impact
After watching his documentary, many viewers have been inspired to travel.
In reviewing the DVD of the film, one blogger wrote:
A Map For Saturday also comes with some of the standard extras, deleted scenes and audio commentary and these especially the commentary are really worth watching, reflections from Brook and the travelers he met on the road about their trip change quite a bit from how they spoke while they were still traveling. Seeing a person change in front of you as a result of their travel experience is maybe a little scary but seeing the change is where the emotional connection is made and you will find it hard as a result to not be inspired to travel. — Dan at The Lost Globe Blog (emphasis added)Recent programs
Silva-Braga posted a series of blogs at Gadling.com, which is affiliated with AOL, as well as posting at TheInterviewPoint .
On November 10, 2007, Silva-Braga was the keynote speaker at the national conference of American Youth Hostels in Washington, D.C.; HI-USA sponsored an essay-writing contest called "The Big Trip" to celebrate this event.
In January 2009, he completed his next documentary, "One Day in Africa".
See also
- Hostel
- American Youth Hostels
References
- ^ Back cover of "A Map for Saturday DVD.
- ^ Brook Silva-Braga at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Bickford, Josh. "Portsmouth native wins Emmy Award". East Bay Newspapers . October 23, 2003. Accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Purnell, Newley. And He Threw It All Away . Gridskipper.com.
- ^ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES PRESENTS THE 24th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY AWARDS," April 21, 2003, found at The Official Emmy Awards website. Accessed June 24, 2009.
- ^ a b Tezza, Interview with the Director of "A Map for Saturday" , October 15, 2007, found at 4 Eva Young web site. Accessed November 13, 2007.
- ^ Morgan Greer, Memphian's trip to hit screen in May , The Daily Helmsman, March 21, 2007, found The Daily Helmsman. Accessed November 13, 2007.
- ^ Gadling.com interview. Accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ Gridskipper.com interview. Accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Melinda J. Benson, Filmstrip Tease , found at Northern Ohio Live web site. Accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Melizer, Blog, found atKaboodle web site "Movies to See" blog
- ^ Kevein Kelly, Cool Tool: A Map for Saturday , review, found at Kevin Kelly's web site. Accessed November 13, 2007.
- ^ A Map for Saturday official web site. Accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ Gridskipper.com travel web site. Accessed November 12, 2007
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