This series of showcases how filmmakers in Brazil respond to current social, political, and economic issues in their country. The three films included in this series explore how legacies of slavery and dictatorship persist in contemporary Brazil in forms of inequality, racism, political instability, and challenges to democratic institutions. Released between 2012 and 2019, these works speak directly and indirectly to the various crises that Brazil has faced over the past decade, from the 2013 protests of the passo livre (free fair) movement for more accessible and affordable public transit through the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in 2016 to the rise of the far-right with the presidential election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 and the continued threats to Brazil’s young democracy. With these screenings and subsequent discussions, the series hopes to foster a broader awareness of Brazil’s current reality and the creative ways in which artists are dialoguing with these events and experiences.

Marighella (2019)
Directed by Wagner Moura

Set in 1969, this drama depicts a moment in the life of Afro-Brazilian revolutionary and politician Carlos Marighella. Facing a violent military dictatorship and with little support from a timid opposition, Marighella organizes an armed resistance movement. Adapted from the biography Marighella - O Guerrilheiro que Incendiou o Mundo, by Mário Magalhães, the film is the directorial debut of actor Wagner Moura and features musician and actor Seu Jorge in the role of Carlos Marighella.

“Brazilian drama Marighella is an urgent film in its commitment and cinematic intensity, and it could hardly be more timely.” -- Screendaily