Geraldo Alckmin

When numerous schools in São Paulo were slated to be closed in 2015 as a result of the worsening socio-political crisis, students occupied more than a thousand public buildings in an unprecedented act of self-empowerment. Filmmaker Eliza Capai shows the development of the many-voiced protests, using news excerpts, self-conducted interviews and recordings made with activists’ own cell phone cameras. From the first demonstrations in 2013 and continuing all the way to the election of the extreme right-wing presidential Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, Capai’s highly political work becomes more and more relevant with each passing day.

Imagine a prison with some ten thousand prisoners, many of them dangerous and, to control them, only a few unarmed employees. Small in number, these employees work in shifts. They are almost prisoners themselves, in a routine of tension, but also of humor and emotion. This prison was all too real. While it was in existence, the Carandiru was the largest prison in Latin America, administered by a reduced number of employees. The documentary shows, from the point of view of these few employees, holding the keys, how the prison operated: the delicate balance in the relationship with the prisoners, affinity among employees, moments of tension and, even, of happiness. These are stories told by former employees, among them, Dr. Dráuzio Varella, author of the book Estação Carandiru. These are the secrets of a place that no longer exists.

In 2002, the greatest prison in Latin America, Complex Carandiru, was demolished. A couple of months before its implosion, director Paulo Sacramento trained some inmates and together with his crew, they produced many hours of footage, showing daily life in prison.

Capital of Faith is a short documentary that addresses the reality of the new Brazilian Evangelical Church, illustrated with images of the Faith spectacle and the unusual Christianization through gospel culture. The film is a portrait of this militant belief experienced in the city of São Paulo, bringing tension between innovative conservatism and the contradictions of Corporate Christianity.

In the richest state and one of the most conservative in Brazil, the modus operandi of public education suffers a setback when high school students react to the official decree that determines the closing of 94 schools and the relocation of students. The student response is surprising.

With decades of experience of reporting and a curious spirit for the history of the other, Pedro Bial presents a wide space to listen, give opinions and multiply opinions.