Director's body to be flown to Brazil on November 30

The ongoing festival was gripped by grief over the sudden demise of 56-year-old Filho yesterday as tributes poured in for the director, who was here with his film 'Mario Filho: The Creator of Crowds' as part of the soccer package at the International Film Festival of India(IFFI).

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni mourned the death of Filho, saying his "loss is irreparable" and that he could have achieved still a lot more in life.


In her message to the Brazilian Ambassador, Soni also assured the envoy that all possible arrangements would be made so that the body of the filmmaker reaches his home country.

The IFFI also put up a graffiti board at the festival venue for his friends and admirers to write their condolence messages.

Forensic doctors at Goa medical college and hospital conducted a post-mortem on the body of Filho today after his wife issued a no objection certificate from Brazil. The remains have been kept at the hospital mortuary.

The body would be transported by Qatar Airways on Wednesday morning from Goa to Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Filho was working for 'Atlantida Cinematografica' in Rio de Janeiro's Mahatma Gandhi square, named after the 15 metre-long statue Gandhi in the square.

Luis Henrique Severiano Rebeiro Baez, Chief Executive Officer of Atlantida Cinematografica, said he has decided to drop his next project, a film on History of Negros in Brazilian Football, which was supposed to commence shooting early next year.

Baez said that he would be also closing down the unit of his company, which was producing football films.