Note from BW of Brazil: Black women doing for themselves, telling their stories and bringing color and consciousness to the narrative. We’ve sad it time and time again here on the blog, if they were to wait on Brazil’s mainstream media to tell their story, they’ll either continue waiting or continue accepting the image of black women as available bodies only useful for work or sexual gratification. Realistically, if Brazil’s media were interested in telling the stories of this parcel of the population, they wouldn’t represent only 4% of protagonists in films, seeing a black woman as a talk show host wouldn’t be difficult to find and they wouldn’t represent only 1% of the leading roles in television commercials.
Fortunately, just since the appearance of this blog we’ve seen major strides in Afro-Brazilian women taking the lead in their productions which have lead to exposure at the Cannes Film Festival, the rise of black female YouTubers, powerful web series presenting diverse representations of black women and a critically acclaimed short film. In fact, with the rise of the so-called ‘Cinema Negro’ (Black Cinema), black women of Brazil are leading the charge for bringing the black perspective to the big screen. An upcoming documentary featuring the voices and images of nine powerful black women continues this rising tide. Learn more below.
Documentary ‘Mulheres Negras: Projetos de Mundo (Black Women: World Projects) reveals black feminine look
With release scheduled for September 12th at 7pm at the Olido Gallery Cultural Center, the film brings together testimonies of black women
There are few things as powerful and transformative in the world than the bond between women. When dealing with black women, the collective experiences have governed trajectories since the forced coming to Brazil; resistance and struggle for freedom, and when free, still suffering from persistent racism in Brazilian society.
- Ana Paula Santana Correia is black feminist, a Master in Social Sciences from the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) and the coordinator of the Centro de Defesa e Convivência da Mulher Casa Anastácia (Center of Advocacy and Coexistence of the Woman House Anastácia).
In the documentary Mulheres Negras: Projetos de Mundo (Black Women: World Projects, nine black female voices are presented in a smooth and powerful way. In their statements, each woman speaks of her survival experience paved in race, gender, class and uncovering what it means to dwell in pele negra (black skin).
Directed by black feminist, Day Rodrigues in partnership with Lucas Ogasawara, the documentary features testimonials from Djamila Ribeiro, Ana Paula Correia, Aldenir Dida Dias, Preta Rara(meaning ‘rare black woman’) and Nenesurreal, Francinete Loiola, Luana Hansen, Monique Evelle and Andreia Alves.
- Djamila Ribeiro, a Master in Political Philosophy, writer, black feminist and Adjunct Secretary of the Municipal Secretariat for Human Rights and Citizenship of São Paulo, is one of nine women present in the documentary Mulheres Negras: Projetos de Mundo – Filme.
The documentary includes contributions on black feminism and its importance. “There are world narratives and projects. Black feminism is a great theoretical power for black researchers, through the academic route and other constructions in other areas and this can be seen in the words of the interviewees,” says Days Rodrigues.
The narrative line of the film reverberates women’s voices that present their world project that, in the end, projects the redeeming of a humanity historically denied.
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A body that resists and that expresses its ancestry: this is Andreia Alves, one of nine black women present in the documentary Mulheres Negras: Projetos de Mundo – Filme. Andreia is a dancer and post-grad in Dança e Consciência Corporal (Dance and Body Awareness). She’s been a part of the group Ilú Oba De Min since 2006.
The release takes place on September 12th at 7pm at the Olido Gallery Cultural Center, in downtown São Paulo.
Info
Mulheres Negras: Projetos de Mundo – O Filme (25 min.)
Day: September 12, 7pm
Location: Olido Gallery – 473 Avenida São João
Free
Facebook: /mulheresnegrasprojetosdemundo
Film credits
Direction: Day Rodrigues and Lucas Ogasawara
Argument, interviews, script and production: Day Rodrigues
Script, photography and editing: Lucas Ogasawara
Music: Sandro Bueno and Mauro Marianno
Color grading: Maísa Joanni
Mixing: Laurent Mis
Makeup: Gabriela Souza
Layout: Tatiana Cardoso
About direction
Day Rodrigues is a cultural producer, writer and black feminist. She has a degree in Philosophy, and specialization in Cultural Management, from the Center for Research and Training at SESC. In audiovisual, she produced and wrote the documentary Ouro Verde: a Roda de Samba do Marapé and the short film Pontal Final (based on her short poetic-story “Decupagem”).
Lucas Ogasawara is a director and film editor trained in Medialogy at UNICAMP. With the short A Despedida (The Farewell) he circulated through the best festivals in the country, such as the Festival Internacional de Curtas de São Paulo, Festival do Rio, Mostra Internacional de Tiradentes, Festival Guarnicê de Cinema do Maranhão, and many others, as well as international exhibitions such as In The Palace (Bulgaria) and Fester (Los Angeles, USA). Outside of cinema, he has carried out research of format and directed content for various media, for companies such as Folha, Vogue, Abril, Globo, SESC, in addition to working as an editor for cable channels such as Discovery Channel and Combat (UFC).
Source: Instituto Patrícia Galvão
I respectfully request that your documentaries, films, information, concerns, desires
histories of discrimination & more becomes made available for presentation in U.S.
THERE EXIST A GROWING DESIRE TO BOYCOTT ALL PRODUCTS OF BRAZIL UNTIL A RESOLUTION HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. It is growing as you are seen
It’s really sad Feminism is speading in Brazil too! Take care, because you guys will probably end up like Cuba!