Brazilian Black Women’s Films to Screen at Rio’s Caixa Cultural

By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Next Tuesday, December 5th, Caixa Cultural, in Centro, opens the exhibit “Diretoras Negras do Cinema Brasileiro” (Black Female Directors from the Brazilian Cinema). Promoting debates and screening 46 films from the 2000s, including short, medium and full-length works, the festival will be on until December 17th.

With the curatorship of Kênia Freitas and Paulo Ricardo de Almeida, “Diretoras Negras do Cinema Brasileiro” aims to reflect on the place of black women in Brazil’s audiovisual scene.

Thus, the exhibit will not only screen contemporary productions, but also pioneer works by black female directors, like 1984’s “Amor Maldito”, by Adélia Sampaio, former housemaid and the first black woman to run a feature length in Brazil.

Been displayed on December 7th, at 3:30 PM, “Amor Maldito” also stands out for being the first lesbian movie produced in the Brazilian cinema.

“To talk about the trajectory of black women in the Brazilian cinema is to rescue a history of invisibility. These filmmakers have been active in transforming the audiovisual scene, giving visibility to the black female issues,” says the curator Kênia Freitas.

Another highlight is Dandara’s “Gurufim na Mangueira” (2000), a Brazilian-American short fiction that portrays the mysterious death of the leader of Mangueira, one of the most traditional samba schools in Rio.

“Some recent initiatives have been crucial to promote the social inclusion of black people in the arts, like the affirmative actions, which have been helping to make Brazil’s audiovisual scene more diverse,” says curator Paulo Ricardo de Almeida.

What’s more, the event will promote two debate sessions. Next Thursday, December 7th, at 7PM, directors Adélia Sampaio and Sabrina Fidalgo will participate in the session “The path of black female directors in Brazil”, while filmmakers Janaína Oliveira and Yasmin Thayná will talk on the table “Perspectives and Transformations: the black woman in the national cinema”, to happen on December 14th, at 7PM.

What: “Diretoras Negras do Cinema Brasileiro” (Black Female Directors from the Brazilian Cinema)
When: December 7th to December 14th – see event for time details.
Where: Caixa Cultural – Avenida Almirante Barroso, 25 – Centro
Entrance: R$2 – R$4