5x Favela, Now by Ourselves 2010

The project '5 x slum, now by ourselves' gathered over 80 young people from Rio's favelas (slums), selected through workshops, script and filmmaking techniques to create a feature film consisting of five stories that reflect different facets of the daily lives of residents of these communities - with the promise of escape stereotypical representations.

In Evil Hour 2006

The old servant and chronicler Dom Sabas tells how his desolate South American town is the scene of a ruthless power struggle. The landowning Assis family, reduced to a widow and son, tries to hold out against the young, despotic mayor. No less effective then actions are anonymous rumors and accusations, which often stir the inhabitants' moves.

Referências 2006

During a showing of rare Afro-Brazilian Cinema films at the Cinematheque of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, actor/filmmaker Zózimo Bulbul gathered some of the most notorious Brazilian black directors to talk about their works, their lives and their perspectives on the future.

The Forest 2002

Young man, of Portuguese nobility ascendancy, starts working in a rubber plantation in the Amazon, in 1912, and falls in love with pretty Yayá, a married woman.

Natal da Portela 1988

Biography of one of the legendary names in the Samba genre of Brazilian music. Although he could hardly dance or play an instrument, he became one of the main composers of Portela, an important Samba "school" in Rio de Janeiro.

Quilombo 1984

Quilombo dos Palmares was a real-life democratic society, created in Brazil in the 17th century. This incredibly elaborate (and surprisingly little-known) film traces the origins of Quilombo, which began as a community of freed slaves. The colony becomes a safe harbor for other outcasts of the world, including Indians and Jews. Ganga Zumba (Toni Tornado) becomes president of Quilombo, the first freely elected leader in the Western Hemisphere. Naturally, the ruling Portuguese want to subjugate Zumba and his followers, but the Quilombians are ready for their would-be oppressors. The end of this Brave New World is not pleasant, but the followers of Zumba and his ideals take to the hills, where they honor his memory to this day. Writer/director Carlos Diegues takes every available opportunity to compare the rise and fall of Quilombo with the state of affairs in modern-day Brazil.

The Girl and the Rapist 1982

In São Paulo, Vanessa who is normally spoiled rotten, is neglected and rejected by her mother, practically raised alone by her butler and driver Pedro and the maid, Dalva. Vanessa has disturbing daydreams and sexual fantasies, but doesn't let Arlindo, a teenager that flirts with her get close to her. Her best friend is Denise, a promiscuous girl that has intercourse with different men. When Vanessa discloses to Denise her problem, Denise gives the address of her psychotherapist Dr. Artur, to her friend. The unethical shrink pushes Vanessa to the edge, bringing memories of a severe trauma of her childhood. Then the disturbed Dr. Artur induces the girls to commit suicide.

Giselle 1980

Sexy girl seduces all the members of her family. She indirectly causes the failure of his father's marriage, for her stepmother falls in love with her. Then, she has affairs with her father's stepson, and with the farm housekeeper. She and some friends are also raped by some bad guys. But they all celebrate the ruin of traditional family values.

Black Goddess 1978

A Deusa Negra is a love story that spans two centuries. In 18th century Yorubaland, Prince Oluyole is taken prisoner in the course of internecine warfare fanned by overseas slave traders. He is sold into slavery in Brazil. In present day Nigeria, at his father's deathbed, the young Babatunde promises to go to Brazil and search for traces of their once-enslaved ancestors. Beginning with a Candomblé ritual, his journey takes him ever deeper into this culture and, in a dream-like sequence, affords him a deeper understanding of his ancestors' suffering and powers of resistance. Balogun effortlessly links present with past, real with magical worlds and discourse with trance. The hypnotic atmosphere is also heightened by the music of the Nigerian drummer Remi Kabaka, which plays with repetitive patterns and distortions.

Ana, a Libertina 1975

Compasso de Espera 1973

Jorge de Oliveira is an Afro-Brazilian poet who works in a publicity agency in São Paulo. Torn between his rich white lovers and his black family and friends, Jorge's situation serves as a springboard to a discussion about racial issues in Brazil.

Soul in the Eye 1973

Inspired by Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver’s book Soul on Ice and dedicated to John Coltrane, Soul in the Eye marks the beginning of Black Brazilian films. The film is a metaphor for the legacy of culture and survival bestowed by enslaved Africans brought to the American continent and the search for freedom through inner transformation, in a game inspired by concretism.

Garden of War 1969

Edson is having an affair with actress Maria do Rosário, who dreams of being a movie director. So he tries to get some easy money for her film, but is arrested and meets a police torturer instead.

Our Lady Of Compassion 1969

João Grilo is a backwoodsman who tries to get along at the expense of the powerful in the city, who pretend to be respectful of morals and good customs and hide their sins. But when a band of cangaceiros attacks the small town, everyone has to settle accounts with God and the Devil.

The Naked Man 1968

A man gets locked naked outside of his apartment.

The Girl from Ipanema 1967

Chronicles the life of a 17 year-old girl living in the upper-class Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of Ipanema. Márcia lives a life of parties and spend her days among bohemians, musicians and intellectuals. While seeming happy in the outside, she's extremely anguished inside. Based on the famous song by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.

Entranced Earth 1967

Eldorado, a fictitious country in America, is sparkling with the internal struggle for political power. In the eye of this social convulsion, the jaded journalist Paulo Martins opposes two equally corrupt political candidates: a pseudopopulist and a conservative. In this context, Paulo is torn between the madness of the elite and the blind submission of the masses. But, in this complex tropical reality, nothing really is what it seems to be.

El Justicero 1967

A shockingly irreverent follow-up to the rural austerity of Barren Lives, dos Santos’ Godardian social satire owes more than a nod to the self-conscious antics of the French New Wave. The pampered son of a general, El Justicero is a hipster playboy who fancies himself a James Bond/Jean Paul Sartre urban hero. “Archetypical” yet “full of contradictions,” he sees that justice is achieved for the disadvantaged while taking advantage of certain bourgeois perks. His exploits are closely followed and eventually directed by his biographer who decides a film is not only more lucrative than a book, but it gives him the luxury of reviewing previous scenes. Unlike Bond, El Jus eventually experiences an awakening which threatens to compromise the entertainment value and glamour of his life story. - Harvard Film Archive

Ganga Zumba 1963

The life of a runaway slave who founded the Quilombo dos Palmares, an outlaw community of Brazilian slaves.

Five Times Favela 1962

Five segments about the hardships faced by people living in slums on hills in Rio de Janeiro.