The Memory Thread

Documentary on poor people living in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, on the occasion of New Year's Eve of 1999.

Zózimo Bulbul’s film is dedicated to Zumbi dos Palmares and to all Maroons dead and alive. It portrays the life of Aniceto, who was 72 years old at the time: a union leader, a stevedore at the Rio de Janeiro port and founder of Escola de Samba Império Serrano

"Life and work of the Maranhense poet Sousândrade (1833-1902), illustrated with engravings on Brazilian history, from the discovery to the proclamation of the Republic."

Against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Brazil, this documentary captures Pelé's extraordinary path from breakthrough talent to national hero. Mixing rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, this documentary celebrates the legendary Brazilian footballer who personified football as art.

Between 1974 and 1976, while researching for his filme "S. Bernardo", Leon Hirszman shot three documentary shorts produced by the Brazilian Ministry of Education on the chores of the men who worked in the sugar cane fields in the town of Feira de Santana, in the cocoa fields of Itabuna, and in the efforts of building households in Chã Preta.

O Aleijadinho, a study of the work of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, the architect whose cathedral de Andrade had assisted in the restoration of more than 20 years earlier. de Andrade dedicated the film to his father, who had sent him on the expedition.

João Goulart (known as Jango) had been democratically elected president of Brazil, but was expelled from office after the coup of April 1, 1964. After that, Jango lived in exile in Argentina, where he died in 1976. The circumstances of his death in the neighboring country were not well explained today. His body was buried immediately after his death, raising the suspicions of premeditated murder. This documentary brings the issue back to the fore and tries to publicly clarify some obscure facts of the history of Brazil.

Documentary about the trajectory of the Brazilian journalist, writer and politician Fernando Gabeira. With testimonies of Armínio Fraga, Aguinaldo Silva, Leda Nagle, among others.

An experimental film on Brazilian avant-garde artist Hélio Oiticica and his works, especially the Parangolés.

A documentary that revisits the golden age of pagode, celebrating the musical genre that defined a generation and dominated parties, TV shows, and radio stations across Brazil. Through archival footage and testimonials from artists and behind-the-scenes figures, the film explores the phenomenon's roots, its meteoric rise, and the legacy that still resonates in today's music. In a nostalgic musical showcase featuring major names from the genre, timeless hits are reimagined, paying tribute to pagode's impact on Brazilian culture.

This documentary investigates the aesthetic, political and existential trajectory of emblematic Black Brazilian actor Antônio Pitanga. His career spans over five decades, and he has worked with iconic Brazilian filmmakers Glauber Rocha, Cacá Diegues and Walter Lima Jr. He was a prominent figurehead and outspoken activist during the Brazilian dictatorship, a period of unrest in Brazilian cinema. "Pitanga" deep dives into the world of Antônio and the history of Brazil. The documentary was directed by his daughter Camila Pitanga, one of widely recognised faces in Brazilian television and cinema right now. The film is also a poem, and a tender ode to fatherhood.

Intermissions follows Lula during the hectic election campaign for the presidency in 2002. Lula gave filmmaker João Moreira Salles and his crew complete access, and the result is an intimate documentary of what went on behind the scenes. Sometimes, Lula is afraid that he will lose his freedom as president. Combined with Lula's candor, the film's observational style provides some very special insight into one of Brazil's most popular leaders.

Through rare and striking footage from her own films, Eunice Gutman Has Stories revisits the journey of one of the pioneers of feminist cinema in Brazil. This is a tribute to the director, who will celebrate 50 years of work and 85 years of life in 2026.

Through clippings, the film draws a narrative line between the construction of racism in Brazil and the United States, having as base the European invasion of the continent, police violence, the genocide of the black people, the massacre of indigenous peoples, religious violence, the criminalization of funk music, structural racism in art and education, the importance of quota policy and the need urgent historical repair as a commitment by the Brazilian state to the black people.

A documentary on the career of Beth Carvalho, the Brazilian singer who became a well known samba legend from the 1970s onwards, edited together from hundreds of hours of footage and audio files kept (and partially recorded) by Carvalho herself during her lifetime.

In 1988, the centenary of abolition of slavery in Brazil, Zózimo Bulbul made this powerful historical analysis of racial issues in his country. This documentary provides an in-depth look through extensive archival researching and interviews of key figures who were involved in preserving black culture. Aside from historical testimony, this epic documentary also points to the current relevance of facing the racism that still confronts the black population in Brazil.

Filmed as Brazil was transitioning back into a democracy after over two decades of dictatorship, ‘Mulheres: uma outra história’ focuses on various aspects of women's participation in the Brazilian political scene and features interviews with some of the 23 women newly elected to the Constituent Assembly who managed to gain the approval of some of their proposals for the Brazilian Constitution which was being written at the time. The film features appearances from suffragist Carmen Portilho, who reminds viewers about the long history of struggle for women to earn the right to vote in the country, and Jandira Feghali and Benedita da Silva who would become some of the most influential political leaders in the country’s history.

In 2018, Brazil’s 1988 Constitution turned thirty. Known as the Citizen Constitution, it was a landmark in the history of Brazil, the outcome of across-the-board engagement of society in its preparation. In Congress, the parliamentarians best known for their involvement in this initiative were names that are still familiar today in Brazil’s political history: Ulysses Guimarães, Teotônio Vilela, Tancredo Neves and Nelson Carneiro.

A woman lawyer becomes mesmerized by a self-made millionaire during an encounter in Rio setting off a series of erotic encounters.

Cowboy Riobaldo is attracted to same sex Diadorim, not knowing that "he" is a girl dressed in man's clothes. After Diadorim's father is killed, she swears revenge, being joined by Riobaldo in this mission.

The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.

The life story of Brazilian football legend, Pele.

When a doctor decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo – Carandiru, he meets the future victims of one of the darkest days in Brazilian history.

Kick-box champion David Sloan arrives in Rio de Janeiro for an exhibition fight. He and mentor Xian take pity on Brazilian rascal Marcos Coasta, an urchin who offers guide services but routinely steals from tourists for himself and his older sister Isabella. David is shocked when he sees how his Argentinian opponent Marcelo needlessly abuses a courteous local sparing partner. That's the doing of his evil US manager, Lane. He has nasty plans to force David to cheat and runs a white slavery racket.

Based on true events, the film tells the story of Brazilian outlaw Promessinha, one of the most famous and feared criminals of his time, depicting his crimes and cruelty, until his death confronting the police.

A re-imagining of the myth of Yansan, Shango and Ogum in a luminous, futuristic Japan.

Bruno is a physician whose license had been revoked, due to some ethical problems in the past. He gathers some criminals to kidnap the children of two powerful bankers. While the police faces contradictory evidence and clues, Bruno starts killing the other criminals, to keep the ransom for himself.

Born a fully grown black man in a village in the Brazilian jungle, Macunaíma later magically transforms into a white man before making an adventure-filled trip to the city of São Paulo. Once there, he becomes something of a dandy, falling in love with Ci, a revolutionary who dies in an accidental bombing. After robbing a ruthless industrialist, Macunaima returns to his village where he finds his newly acquired knowledge and possessions of little use.

New York, 2010. Jeff Harris, a music journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenório Júnior, a young Brazilian samba-jazz pianist who disappeared in Buenos Aires on March 18, 1976.

The beautiful Flor marries Vadinho -- and soon finds out he's spending all their money on gambles and has mistresses all over the city. Vadinho suddenly dies while partying during Carnival, and Flor, left helpless and full of debts, ends up marrying Teodoro, who's the exact opposite of her late husband.

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.

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.