Filmmakers Launch 'O Projeto' Ahead of Brazil's Polarized Election — SkimNews
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- Sabrina Fidalgo and Yvan Rodic completed 'O Projeto,' a six-year documentary journey across Brazil, Germany, and Switzerland, weaving archival material, interviews with Grada Kilomba and Djamila Ribeiro, and poetic reflections on colonialism’s legacy.
- O Projeto became the first Brazilian project funded by Le Fonds de Dotation agnès b, overcoming early development hurdles during the pandemic and under the Bolsonaro administration when cultural funding was frozen.
- Walter Salles has emerged as an ongoing supporter of the film, praising it as a rare, incisive examination of colonialism and whiteness, while Laís Bodanzky joined as an associate producer and consultant.
- Gullane, Fidalgo Produções, Globo Filmes, and Canal Brasil produced the film, which premiered at Gramado Film Festival and is now screening at Mostra de São Paulo ahead of its nationwide theatrical release on Nov. 19.
- Sabrina Fidalgo frames the film as a manifesto, linking its themes to current political mobilization in Brazil, especially youth and student movements inspired by Black Lives Matter and reacting to the upcoming election.
- O Projeto arrives in Brazilian theaters amid a tense presidential runoff between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, which Fidalgo describes as a 'choice between good and evil' due to the latter’s denial of colonial harms.
Why it matters: The film’s release gains political urgency as it directly engages with Brazil’s electoral divide, amplifying marginalized voices just as students mobilize against a resurgence of Bolsonaro-aligned leadership that has dismissed colonial violence—making cultural production a frontline of democratic resistance.
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