Brazil became a democracy in 1985. Lula, a former militant worker, and then Dilma Rousseff, an ex-guerrilla, were elected to the presidency, respectively, bringing 20 million Brazilians out of poverty and asserting the country as a superpower in the making. However, underneath the surface, corruption continues to plague the country. Filmmaker Petra Costa makes an impressively edited film, a portrait of a nation with hints of Greek tragedy, rancid ideologies, collective hardships and paradise lost.
The documentary film (2019, 121 minutes, Portuguese with English subtitles) will be followed by a panel discussion with:
- Jamil Chade, Brazilian Journalist
- Christine Lutringer, Executive Director, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, the Graduate Institute, Geneva (moderator)
- Paulo Lugon Arantes, Researcher on Human Rights Law
- Yanina Welp, Research Associate, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, the Graduate Institute, Geneva
The screening is organised in partnership with the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) and the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy of the Graduate Institute, Geneva.
“Petra Costa’s powerful documentary charts the state’s descent into populism and the fraying of its democratic fabric.” – The Guardian
Entry is free, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis
