ORPHAN MOTHERS
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Release Year: 2022
Duration: 73 minutes
Director: Patrick Granja
Screenplay: MC Leonardo & Patrick Granja
Post-production: Rafael Chacon
Original music: Carlo Alexandre
Supported by: Pedrada Filmes & Kings College (UK)
From 2013 to 2020, Brazilian police forces killed at least 37,000 people. This number represents a 190% increase over the same period. The Rio de Janeiro police are the deadliest. In 2021 alone, there were at least 1,084 deaths. In the wake of this barbarity are thousands of mothers, left childless, many of whom end up becoming activists for social justice and against the extermination policies carried out by the State in the favelas and poor neighborhoods of Brazil.
The film gathers a vast collection of a decade of on-site documentation of State violence in the favelas of Rio. This footage was captured by the documentary's director, Patrick Granja, during his time as a journalist dedicated to covering the favelas and poor neighborhoods. The film combines this archive with current testimonies from the mothers of victims of police violence to MC Leonardo, a funk singer known for his songs that portray the hardships of Rio.
This is one more documentary by Katu Filmes available online on the independent streaming platform Bombozila, a vast and free catalog of 'films that matter.' Access now and check it out.