Favela Government

Antes do livro didático, o cocar

August 2022 •Portuguese

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Amazônia, A Nova Minamata?

October 2022 •Portuguese

Favela on Blast

January 2008 •English

For 20 years, a subculture has emerged in Brazil under society's radar. It is the culture surrounding 'funk carioca', a musical rhythm which mixes the American electronic funk of the 1980s with the most diverse influences of Brazilian music. 'Baile funk' is one of the most interesting musical movements in the world, but it comes from what is at times one of the most violent and poorest places in the world: the slums of Rio de Janeiro (favelas). This music is the personalization of the raw element. Bombastic rhythms coming from the American Miami Bass and samples are fused with powerful rap vocals using Brazilian slang. This documentary tells stories of sex, love, poverty, and pride among Rio's marginalized people. They have their own language, style, and heroes. It's a film that's fast, heavy, and violent like the city itself.

Intervenção na Cipla e Interfibra (Fábricas Ocupadas, Lula e o Capitalismo)

July 2008 •Portuguese

On May 31, 2007, hundreds of armed men, from the Federal Police, in a true war operation, pulled out of the factories, the members of the Factory Commission elected by the workers, swearing in a federal intervener. The workers and their leaders talk about their struggles, day to day in the occupied factories, the reduction of working hours from 44 to 30 hours per week, the agreement with the Chavez government of Venezuela to build a house factory, Petrocasa . They also narrate the terror during the intervention, all kinds of humiliation to which they were exposed, anguish and perspectives.

Complexo: Parallel Universe

January 2011 •Portuguese

No Rio de Janeiro, a 13 km do Cristo Redentor, dois portugueses aventuraram-se na mais temida favela do Brasil, onde moram mais de 300.000 pessoas - o Complexo do Alemão. Em 2007, no período de maior tensão e violência no Rio de Janeiro, viveram a maior operação policial já realizada no estado, sentiram na pele como é a vida de um simples morador. O filme retrata este perigoso e complexo mundo, um universo paralelo inserido dentro de uma ordem maior, um mundo à parte, que segue uma ordem diferente da ordem global.

In Deep With Ryan Lochte

July 2020 •English

Four years after Ryan Lochte's scandal at the 2016 Olympics, the father of two tries once more to make his way onto the U.S. Olympic team and prove he isn't the same man he once was.

Agnus Gay

September 1997 •Portuguese

Footage from the first ever São Paulo LGBTQ Pride Parade, which took place on the 28th of June 1997 on Avenida Paulista. The annual event would go on to become the largest pride parade in the world.

Lua

March 2024 •Portuguese

Joseph Wilson meets the dance teacher fighting transphobic violence through voguing in Rio’s favelas.

Nordeste Água e Óleo

April 2025 •Portuguese

72 Horas

April 2024 •Portuguese

Moment of Contact

October 2022 •English

An exploration of potential extraterrestrial encounters centered on a series of events in Varginha, Brazil during 1996. Residents reported seeing one or more strange creatures and a UFO crash.

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.

Our Stories, Ourselves

April 2013 •Portuguese

Sixty-six adolescents, residents of Favela da Maré, were selected to participate in a dance show led by the choreographer Ivaldo Bertazzo, which incorporated their own daily experiences. Ten years later, directors David Meyer and Helena Soldberg search for some of the participants of this experience.

São Vito

February 2019 •Portuguese

Story about the imposing building Edifício São Vito, a mark on the center of São Paulo gentrification system. The building was demolished in 2011, with many families being deallocated after an agreemente with the city town that was never accomplished.

Esquecidos: crise nos anos finais do Ensino Fundamental

September 2022 •Portuguese