Como Nasce uma Cidade

A curious view on the historical city of Feira de Santana, one of the most famous places in the state of Bahia, with director/writer Olney São Paulo paying a tribute that celebrates the 100th anniversary of the city, showcasing its evolution from the rural days, some highlights and infamous events (like the cangaço bandit Lucas da Feira, who murdered a woman who rejected his advances); and how Feira end up becoming more and more important during the monarchy years as a fervent cultural space and one of the most sought after cities of Bahia.

It's the typical government project of the period, far from being critical of anything and always enthusiastic with everything it has to show. Olney filmed great images and made a well-summarized short documentary that leaves you easily interested - plus the soundtrack used was quite good too.

I personally never been there, and the fun connection I always make about the town comes from the TV interactions between host Jô Soares and his bass player Bira (born in Feira de Santana) and in the latter phase of Jô's program (very laid back moments), whenever there was a guest from Bahia who mentioned some obscure town, the host would turn to Bira and ask "Is it near Feira?", to which the crowd would laugh big time and Bira would know exactly the location of the other town and its proximity with Feira. 6/10.