🗓 Wednesday 29th October | 7pm start (doors 6.30pm)
📍 SOAS University of London (10 Thornhaugh Street London WC1H 0XG) 🔎 Room: KLT (Khalili Lecture Theatre)
Rating: Suitable for ages 16+
Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes
To be followed with a Q&A session with Uilton Oliveira, the Festival Curator from Brazil
All films are in Brazilian Portuguese with English subtitles.
Programme:
5 short films that explore Black, trans, and queer experiences — tracing paths of memory, love, and ancestral power from the dancefloors of Rio to Candomblé terreiros.
1. Vollúpya
Documentary, 21’ min, 16+, 2024. Directed by Éri Sarmet and Jocimar Dias Jr.
In a post-apocalyptic future, an intergalactic explorer lands in an abandoned museum in search of vestiges of their ancestors and ends up teleported to the dance floor of a “GLS” (Gay, Lesbian and Sympathizer) nightclub in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. Built from video archives, photographs, and audio testimonies, this short film mixes science fiction and documentary to present a sensitive and unique perspective on Brazilian queer nightlife in the 1990s.
2. Sangria
Fiction, 23’ min, 14+, 2024. Directed by Rudyeri Ribeiro.
As he’s about to close up the bar where he works, Rubens agrees to serve one last customer — the mysterious Zion.
3. Um dia de Negão – A Black Man’s Day
Documentary, 7’ min, 14+, 2024. Directed by Rebeca Carmo and Analu.
Three Black trans men face manifestations of their unconscious as they go about their daily lives in Amaralina. Each encounter reflects their inner battles and the pressures of a society that demands rigid masculinity. Through these experiences, they share reflections on what it means to live a healthier, freer masculinity — one unbound by stereotypes.
4. Lírios – Lilies
Fiction, 20’ min, 14+, 2025. Directed by Lupe Capitani.
Gabriel and Rita, a trans girl, have been friends since childhood. But a weekend trip to Chapada dos Guimarães may reveal the romance they’ve long tried to deny.
5. In - Nilè
Documentary, 24’ min, All Ages, 2025. Directed by Jener Mendes and Deko Alves.
An experimental mini-doc that portrays the lives, stories, and daily routines of three trans mães de santo (Candomblé priestesses): Ana Vitória de Oyá, Alana de Carvalho, and Thiffany Odara. Through their narratives and a poetic exploration, the film reveals their trajectories of resistance and leadership, showing how they transform their terreiros into spaces of care, power, and reaffirmation. Between the sacred and the everyday, In-Nilè invites viewers to reflect on the intersection of faith, identity, and struggle — celebrating these voices that make their terreiros territories of freedom, diversity, and belonging.