This is Brazil!

This is Brazil! comes to SBS for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

SBS has announced one of its key commissioned programs in the lead up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, This is Brazil! will premiere on SBS on Friday 2 May at 7.30pm.

The six part series is hosted by Brazilian-born Australian Fernanda de Paula and will showcase the vibrant colour and culture of the 12 capital cities in Brazil that will play host to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in June.

In This is Brazil! Fernanda heads home to rediscover her roots, exploring Brazil's cultural diversity, viewing daily life through the eyes of local chefs, musicians, artists and everyday workers. From the pounding drums of the Afro-Brazilian capital, Salvador, to the floating villages of the Amazon, she meets the people that infuse everyday life in Brazil with the rich passion it is so well-known and loved for.

Tony Iffland, Director of Television at SBS said: 'This is Brazil! is an important part of our programming strategy as we look to build excitement around the upcoming FIFA World Cup. This vivacious series allows audiences at home to get a taste of the real Brazil – the colour, movement and sheer excitement of this effervescent country."

This is Brazil! premieres 7:30pm Friday 2 May on SBS ONE.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is live and exclusive on SBS from 13 June 2014.

Episode One – Curitiba & Belo Horizonte - 7:30pm Friday 2 May
Fernanda moved to Australia 10 years ago from Brazil. Now, as her country of birth gears up to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, she heads home. A perfect place to start her journey is at a local football match in Curitiba, a city that boasts the best quality of life in Brazil. Fernanda then has a taste of Brazil's other passion, coffee, before meeting the former mayor and city planner responsible for putting Curitiba on the map. No trip home would be complete without a feast with loved ones, so the next stop is her hometown of Belo Horizonte. She visits Central Market with her mum, sampling cachaça, Minas cheese, her beloved guava paste and other local produce. Being back with family helps Fernanda ease back into the local lifestyle.



Episode Two – Sao Paulo & Fortaleza / Fernando de Noronha - 7:30pm Friday 9 May

Fernanda heads to the biggest city in the southern hemisphere and discovers how the rich get around the massive metropolis. Amongst the chaos of its 20 million residents, São Paulo reveals itself as a melting pot of cultures. At the Central Market she faces off with a sandwich that's almost the size of her head. She meets Pablo, a bicycle shop owner popular with those who want to avoid the mile-long traffic jams. She and an old friend head to an open-air nightclub featuring the sounds of one of the country's best DJs. After a quick stopover in the city of Fortaleza, where she meets up with one of Brazil's top female surfers, Fernanda spends time on the island paradise of Fernando de Noronha. The Bay of Dolphins, a marine park, offers an array of nature-orientated activities and an encounter with a sea turtle recharges the batteries.



Brazilian-born Fernanda de Paula moved to Australia almost 10 years ago and has studied communications and media in Brazil and Australia. She joined SBS as an associate producer in online for three and a half years, working on a number of award-winning projects. Fernanda makes her TV presenting debut as the host of This is Brazil!, a documentary series co-developed by Fernanda that sees her head home to rediscover her roots and celebrate Brazil's rich cultural diversity with chefs, football, musicians, artists and everyday workers.