Based on the book of the same name by Denise Paraná, this film looks at the life of Brazil’s outgoing President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. From his birth in 1945 and impoverished childhood as a shoe shine boy up to 1980, when he became the leader of the Workers’ Party, Lula, The Son of Brazil tells this extraordinary and inspiring story of his rise above hardship through the death of his mother, Dona Lindu, who raised eight children on her own while teaching them all to live life with dignity, no matter what. The film features a standout performance by Glória Pires as Dona Lindu and is Brazil’s official entry into the 2010 Academy Awards. The film premiered in Miami as part of the 14th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami. In Portuguese with English subtitles. The film screens on Friday, December 10 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, December 11 at 2:15 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 12 at 4:15 and 9 p.m. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non-UM students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

Marwencol is a documentary about the fantasy world of Mark Hogancamp. After being beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men outside a bar, Mark builds a 1/6th scale World War II-era town in his backyard. He populates the town he dubs “Marwencol” with dolls representing his friends and family and creates life-like photographs detailing the town’s many relationships and dramas. Playing in the town and photographing the action helps Mark to recover his hand-eye coordination and deal with the psychic wounds of the attack. When Mark and his photographs are discovered, a prestigious New York gallery sets up an art show. Suddenly Mark’s homemade therapy is deemed “art,” forcing him to choose between the safety of his fantasy life in Marwencol and the real world that he’s avoided since the attack. The film screens on Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 11 at 5 and 9:40 p.m.; and Sunday, December 12 at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non-UM students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

Roller derby is an American contact sport that has seen a nationwide revival in recent years. Brutal Beauty: Tales of the Rose City Rollers tells the story of Portland, Oregon’s league, the Rose City Rollers. For more than a year and a half, an embedded film crew documented the thrills and spills of derby life. Through unlimited access to team bouts, practices, and the private lives of the players, Brutal Beauty puts the viewer on the inside track to this high-contact, and sometimes dangerous, sport. In their own words, the Rose City Rollers tell how roller derby saved their souls. The film screens on Friday, December 10 at midnight. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non-UM students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

The third annual UM Innovation Technology Showcase will take place Thursday, December 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Friday, December 10 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Four Seasons Hotel Miami, 1435 Brickell Avenue. The event features new technologies from University of Miami physicians and research scientists who are addressing opportunities in medicine and life sciences, engineering, information technology, and more. Technologies developed at UM and currently available for licensure, as well as start-up companies at various stages of development seeking early funding, will be on display. Attendees will include business leaders and executives from industry, academia, scientists, students, and members of the investment community.

The keynote speaker is Robert Zivin, senior director, Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT) at Johnson & Johnson. Zivin spent 20 years in health care R&D, working in biotechnology, molecular diagnostics, and drug discovery. This work helped lead to several FDA-approved products, with another currently in Phase 3 trials. Since joining COSAT, he has been working on developing new models of collaboration, with the twin aims of facilitating academic partnering and shifting the cost-reward profile of product development. He is also responsible for the identification and promotion of disruptive product opportunities from academic and private innovators.

To register, visit www.med.miami.edu/uminnovation/showcase. Registration is free for UM students, faculty, and staff. The cost of registration for all others is $150. There are also sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities.

For more news and events, visit www.thelaunchpad.org.

The Department of Neurology will present grand rounds on Friday, December 10 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Clinical Research Building, first-floor Gordon Center Auditorium. Richard Isaacson, associate professor of clinical neurology and director of the Neurology Residency Program at the Miller School of Medicine, will present “Recent Advances in the Management of Alzheimer’s Disease.” For more information, please contact Jessica Busquets at 305-243-8785 or [email protected].