Brazil leader watched pirate DVD

Lula's party has been engulfed by a corruption scandal

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva watched a pirated copy of a popular film during a recent flight, the government has confirmed.

Officials said the president's advisers had been responsible for obtaining an illegal copy of the Oscar-nominated film "2 Sons of Francisco".

The president was "saddened" by the revelation, Brazilian media reported.

Lula watched the film during a trip to Moscow in October - well before legal copies hit the market.

The advisers responsible for obtaining the illegal copy had been reprimanded, the government said.

"2 Sons of Francisco", by director Breno Silveira, tells the true story of Brazilian country music singers Zeze and Luciano di Camargo - two brothers who rose from poverty to fame.

It has been the most popular Brazilian production since 1990, and the South American country is hoping to clinch next year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Lula expressed his sadness over the incident since he is friends with the singers featured in the film, said media reports.

Other problems

The Brazilian president's Workers' Party has been recently engulfed by a scandal over illegal funding and alleged bribery in Congress.

This has dominated the country's public life in recent months, and has damaged the government's chances of re-election next year.

Lula has seen his own popularity ratings fall, although he has not been directly implicated in the scandal.