(João Antonio Santucci, Brazil, 2019, 12 min.)

White Zombies starts from the myth of the zombie (or undead) to present an experimental and autobiographical documentary about a black man inserted in a brave society.

(Ana Júlia Travia, Brazil, 2018, 15 min.)

The classic love story in which a young woman meets a young man, with the exception that they are Black and live in a city full of whitened memories.

“The beginning of Sample is striking and calls attention to the concrete, everyday, tearing racism that moves the tectonic plates of this country.” — Roberta Mathias, Apostila de Cinema 

(Vinícius Silva, Brazil, 2018, 29 min.)

We follow the daily lives of three young students at the University of São Paulo. They symbolize a first generation of Black students that, thanks to the government’s new education policy, are able to attend the best public universities in the country—places traditionally reserved for a white elite.

“[The] various questions raised throughout the film are conflicts that permeate the life of almost every young Black university student today…What the film does is to present a path: unity. How Many of Us Were to Be Here? makes it clear that…the way to obtain these answers can only be union, embrace, dialogue, affection.” — William Oliveira, Janela de Cinema

(Everlane Moraes, Cuba & Brazil, 2018, 15 min.)

Aurora is a cinematic essay that starts from the premise: the theater as the stage of life, in which three women of different ages reinterpret their own conflicts on the stage of an abandoned theater.

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“…a quiet meditation on the stages of life and their attendant glories, desires and disappointments through mostly silent portraits of three Black Cuban women of different ages. Carefully composed in high-contrast black and white, this intimate piece finds a poetic beauty in the passage of time.” — Sharon Mizota, LA Times

(Carolina Markowicz, Brazil, 2018, 15 min.)

Jonathas has been adopted, but it doesn’t take long until he is returned because he is “different” from the other kids. Inspired by true events.

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“The Orphan…explores the darker side of adoption, identity, and belonging. In the film, the titular orphan Jonathas is a young Brazilian boy who’s been adopted and returned multiple times. Now one of the older kids in the orphanage, Jonathas struggles with how he should act in order to be adopted — and accepted. Inspired by true events, Markowicz creates a vivid portrait of how one’s burgeoning sexuality can threaten the construction of a cis-family unit. With The Orphan, she crafts a fascinating expression of gender fluidity through stunning cinematography and natural performances.” — Jeffrey Bowers

“In making this film, I was hoping that people would be able to see themselves on both sides. I wanted to shine a light on what society expects from us, and how cruel those expectations can be to our own true nature. In Jonathas’ case, he’s apart from his biological family and he lacks the perspective of someone who accepts him as he is. My intention was to show struggles that anyone could face in seeking belonging and love, but at its highest level.” — Carolina Markowicz, Director

(Fernando Sousa & Gabriel Barbosa, Brazil, 2018, 28 min.)

This documentary addresses the struggle of families who have lost loved ones to state violence in the Baixada Fluminense, an impoverished region in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Using these tragic stories as a starting point, the film seeks to unravel the suffering of the mothers, whose pain is amplified with every victim’s death. They talk about these interrupted lives to preserve their memory and present a critical view of police actions in the Baixada Fluminense, especially in the context of violence against Black youth.

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(Safira Moreira, Brazil, 2020, 5 min.)

A river and its affluents…

The filmmaker was among the artists and collectives invited by Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS) to develop projects during the quarantine as part of Programa Convida.

Show Brazil Productions is a family arts organization led by co-founders Brazilian-American immigrants Eduardo and Ana Paula Mendonça.  Visit showbrazil.com for more info on their services, including high quality performing arts, education, event planning, production and management, as well as COVID-19 online learning resources.

Brazil Center seeks to serve a broad community of all ages and backgrounds offering opportunities for artists and organizations to establish connections developing cultural and educational experiences through music, dance, film, children activities, and exhibitions. Learn more at brazilcenter.org.

Black Cinema Collective is a Seattle-based group of artists and scholars who examine and celebrate works of African and African diasporic filmmakers through programmed screenings, watch parties, and community discussions. With both a Black Feminist and Black Global lens, we hold space for the complex existence and storytelling inventions of Diasporans. We consider intersectional histories and topical stories by supporting multiple forms of filmmaking from local and global artists, activists, documentarians, and organizers. Through our focused events on Black film and visual productions, we exercise agency and care as custodians and students of a broader spectrum of Afro-Diasporic cultures.

Somos is an organization for LGBTQ Latinx folks. Their goal is to build an active community, share resources and foster spaces for learning & growth.

Somos es una organización para personas LGBTQ Latinas. Nuestra meta es crear comunidad, compartir recursos y promover el aprendizaje y desarrollo personal.