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.

Neighboring Sounds (O soma o redor) (2012)
Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho

This debut feature from Kleber Mendonça Filho (Aquarius, Bacarau) examines the anxieties, relationships, and interconnected lives in a middle-class neighborhood of Recife. Questions of real estate speculation and a sense of security within daily routines invite deeper reflections on Brazilian histories of violence and inequality. The film received the Toronto Film Critics Association award for Best First Feature and the prize for Best Brazilian Film at the São Paulo International Film Festival.