O Retorno da Terra Tupinambá

An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Case

September 2024 •Portuguese

A star goalkeeper threatens a woman who is pregnant with his child. Her pleas for help go unanswered in the shadow of his fame — then tragedy strikes.

Othelo The Great

September 2024 •Portuguese

A beautifully told story using archival footage to explore the life of Grande Otelo, a groundbreaking Black Brazilian actor. Overcoming poverty and racism, he built a stellar career, facing controversy yet using it to challenge prejudice.

Favela Government

Invalid date •English

Brazil's "Red Command" drug cartel is considered a plague by the government. But for the people of the favelas they control, Red Command *is* the government. They’re the de facto leadership of the area. The gang has taken over the role of the authorities in their shanty towns, where the state has long abandoned them. Away Days got special access to the Rio favelas, hanging out out with young foot-soldiers, speaking to commanders, and seeing how civilians live between the gangs and the equally violent police militias.

The Bowmakers

September 2019 •English

This documentary film explores the world of the bow and the extraordinary masters who make them. The bow is the Cinderella of the orchestra—the overworked and overshadowed ally to its more glamorous partners. Few people, even among lovers of classical music, think of the bow as an instrument in its own right, but players of stringed instruments see them differently. To musicians, the bow is as essential to expressing the soul of the music as the violin or cello. The film follows the journey of the “silent servant” of the music world—from the workshops of the virtuosos of the trade, to the birthplace of the bow in France, and to Brazil, home to the imperiled tree from which the world’s finest bows are made.

Chacrinha: Eu Vim para Confundir e Não para Explicar

January 2021 •Portuguese

Chacrinha's legacy on TV and excerpts from his personal life are revealed through testimonials and archive images, which tell the story behind the cameras, the behind the scenes that consolidated a new way of communicating Brazil and the facets of a man who is one of the most interesting contemporary characters on the national cultural scene.

Match 64: The Maracanã

June 2015 •English

A documentary following the day life of fans in Brazil on July 13, 2014: the day when Germany and Argentina met up in the finals of FIFA World Cup.

Antes do livro didático, o cocar

August 2022 •Portuguese

Piripkura

March 2018 •Portuguese

The last two surviving members of the Piripkura people, a nomadic tribe in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil, struggle to maintain their indigenous way of life amidst the region's massive deforestation. Living deep in the rainforest, Pakyî and Tamandua live off the land relying on a machete, an ax, and a torch lit in 1998.

The Machine Gun and the Bass

November 2023 •Portuguese

Documentary short film covering two survivors of the argentinian military dictatorship.

O Grande Irmão: O Dia que Durou 21 Anos 2

September 2022 •Portuguese

With confidential and unpublished documentation, the film shows the background and behind-the-scenes of the coup in Chile that took place on September 11, 1973 - and General Pinochet's dictatorship, which lasted 17 years.

Viva o Cinema! Uma História da Mostra de São Paulo

October 2024 •Portuguese

The series tells the story of the São Paulo International Film Festival, one of the most traditional cultural events in Latin America. For 48 years, the festival has showcased hundreds of films from all over the world, bringing vibrancy to the city. Filmmaker Marina Person provides an irreverent perspective, highlighting the exciting and unusual stories that have marked the festival’s journey of resistance. The series reveals the individuals who have embraced the challenge of organizing this significant cultural event in Brazil every year, despite often challenging conditions. We also delves into how the Mostra has grown to become one of the main festivals globally, shedding light on the changes in cinema, Brazil, and the world over the years.

Mariner of the Mountains

September 2023 •French

Using his personal background, Brazilian Karim Aïnous invites the audience to follow/discover an incredible journey through space and time, with an original and usually unknown prism/aspect : The strong bound between Algeria and Brazil, two countries with political and revolutionary strikes that mould their evolution.

Lua Nova: Um Portal para Duas Luas

November 2024 •Portuguese

Tradição e Herança Ancestral - A história dos Mestres de Folias de Reis de Nova Iguaçu

November 2024 •Portuguese

The Hearing

May 2023 •French

After crossing 11 countries irregularly to seek asylum in Canada, Peggy, Simon and their three children are waiting for the hearing that will determine whether they get refugee status or not. Having fled political repression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the family tries to rebuild a peaceful life in Montreal, in spite of the constant threat of deportation. Between ghosts from the past, hopes for the future, a complex legal maze and seemingly endless trial, the film delves into the struggle of the Nkunga Mbala family to remain in Canada. Offering unprecedented access to their hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board, the film unveils the opaque process of claiming asylum in Canada.

Sieged: The Press vs. Denialism

December 2020 •Portuguese

Behind the scenes of news coverage during the pandemic. Follow the work of the professional press in a fight against denialism.

72 Horas

April 2024 •Portuguese

Jonas and the Backyard Circus

November 2015 •Portuguese

Jonas is 13 years old and his life's dream is to maintain the circus that he created in his backyard. While he faces this challenge, he will live the adventure of growing up.

Milton Santos, Pensador do Brasil

January 2001 •Portuguese

The interview, held on January 4, 2001, was the last given by Professor Milton Santos, who died from cancer on June 24 of the same year. The geographer is gone, but his thoughts remains. Its political and cultural ideals inspire the debate on Brazilian society and the construction of a new world. His statement is a true testimony, a lesson that the world can be better. Based on geography, Milton Santos performs a reading of the contemporary world that reveals the different faces of the phenomenon of globalization. It is in the evidence of contradictions and paradoxes that constitute everyday life that Milton Santos sees the possibilities of building another reality. He innovates when, instead of standing against globalization, proposes and points out ways for another globalization.

The Prisoner of the Iron Bars

April 2004 •Portuguese

In 2002, the greatest prison in Latin America, Complex Carandiru, was demolished. A couple of months before its implosion, director Paulo Sacramento trained some inmates and together with his crew, they produced many hours of footage, showing daily life in prison.