Brook Silva-Braga
Encyclopedia
Brook Silva-Braga 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 hostel
s, and was released in 2007. His second film, One Day in Africa, was released in spring 2009.
, and was a producer for HBO's Inside the NFL
, for which he shared an Emmy Award
. He lives in New York City
.
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 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:
and
s 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 hostel
s 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.
, 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.
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.
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:
Another 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,
There 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."
In reviewing the DVD of the film, one blogger wrote:
s 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".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. He shared a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for his production of Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL is a weekly cable television sports show that focuses on the National Football League. It originally aired on HBO from 1977 through 2008...
. 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
Backpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
for 11 months in 2005, in which he stayed in various hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
s, 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 IslandPortsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
, and was a producer for HBO's Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL is a weekly cable television sports show that focuses on the National Football League. It originally aired on HBO from 1977 through 2008...
, for which he shared an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. He lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
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 cameraVideo camera
A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
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
Backpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
, which enchanted him.
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:
and
Synopsis
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 hostelHostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
s around the world, showing us the "hot spots" of backpacking adventure -- Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-- and out-of-the-way places like Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. He was forced to pack only five pounds of clothes, because of his 30 pounds of video equipment, and stay in many hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
s 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 FestivalCleveland International Film Festival
The Cleveland International Film Festival, first held in 1977, is the largest film festival in Ohio. The 2010 festival featured over 300 films. Since 1991 the festival has been held at Tower City Cinemas in downtown Cleveland.-Roxanne T...
, 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
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
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
American Youth Hostels
American Youth Hostels, Inc. is a 501 nonprofit membership organization founded in 1934 by Monroe W. Smith, whose formal name is Hostelling International USA . It is the American member of Hostelling International. It is incorporated in New York.Youth hostels offer inexpensive temporary...
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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
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:
Another 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,
There 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:
Recent programs
Silva-Braga posted a series of blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s at Gadling.com, which is affiliated with AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, as well as posting at TheInterviewPoint.
On November 10, 2007, Silva-Braga was the keynote speaker at the national
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conference of American Youth Hostels
American Youth Hostels
American Youth Hostels, Inc. is a 501 nonprofit membership organization founded in 1934 by Monroe W. Smith, whose formal name is Hostelling International USA . It is the American member of Hostelling International. It is incorporated in New York.Youth hostels offer inexpensive temporary...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
;
HI-USA
American Youth Hostels
American Youth Hostels, Inc. is a 501 nonprofit membership organization founded in 1934 by Monroe W. Smith, whose formal name is Hostelling International USA . It is the American member of Hostelling International. It is incorporated in New York.Youth hostels offer inexpensive temporary...
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".