21st Cinebrasil Festival

The selected films tell a wide variety of stories and offer diverse perspectives on life in Brazil. They take us from personal stories, such as those in the opening film *Feito Pipa*, or *Aqui Não Entra Luz* and *Cartas Para...*, and family conflicts, as seen in *Narciso*, *Pequenas Criaturas* or *Precisamos Falar*, right through to questions of identity, belonging and social change. This also highlights Brazil’s cultural diversity.

Brazilian cinema has been internationally renowned, at least since Fernando Meirelles’ *City of God*. Nevertheless, Brazilian films still make it onto German cinema screens far too rarely. Cinebrasil aims to change this and create a space for encounters: between films, people and cultures.

All films are screened in the original Portuguese with English subtitles.

Come along and discover new stories and voices from Brazil with us!

Programme overview

Opening Film

Feito Pipa

• Thursday, 19 November 2026 – 7.30 pm
• Sunday, 22 November 2026 – 4.00 pm
• BR 2026,
• 114 mins,
• Original version with subtitles
• Short film
• Dir: Allan Deberton Starring: Yuri Gomes, Teca Pereira, Lázaro Ramos, Carlos Francisco

Gugu is almost twelve and dreams of becoming a footballer. At the Araújo-Lima reservoir, which is slowly drying up and revealing the ghostly remains of a sunken town, he grows up under the loving care of his grandmother Dilma. Her open-mindedness and warmth give him the space to simply be himself. Their quiet but strong bond protects them both from the rejection of Gugu’s father and the people around them. As old memories resurface, changes that are barely noticeable at first begin to disrupt their familiar way of life. Dilma is becoming increasingly frail, and out of a fear of losing the only safe place he has ever known, Gugu’s determination to keep her world intact grows.

Short film Naveguei Todos Os Dias da Minha Vida...

• BR 2026,
• 9 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Gabriel Reis

The Amulet of Ogum

• Friday, 20 November 2026, 7.30 pm
• BR 1974,
• 112 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Nelson Pereira Dos Santos
• Starring: Ney Santana, Anecy Rocha, Joffre Soares, Jards Macalé

The film was released in 1974 and screened in cinemas from 1975 onwards, with a soundtrack by Jards Macalé. Starring Ney Sant’Anna in the lead role, the feature film is classified as a drama with elements of mysticism and crime and belongs to a phase that followed the ‘Cinema Novo’ movement. The film presents new aesthetic and thematic approaches, as well as social reflections on marginalisation, popular piety and urban violence in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. The plot tells the story of a boy whose father and brother were murdered and who, at his mother’s request, goes to an Umbanda temple to ‘seal his body’ (to protect himself through the spirits), where he receives a protective amulet from Ogum, the warrior Orixá, who stands for protection and justice.

Velhos Bandidos + short film

• 21:45
• BR 2026,
• 93 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Cláudio Torres
• Starring: Fernanda Montenegro, Ary Fontoura, Bruna Marquezine, Lázaro Ramos

Nancy and Sid are burglars who have set their sights on Marta and Rodolfo’s house. But when they break in, they encounter a surprising twist: the retired couple have already been waiting for them. Marta, played by Fernanda Montenegro, and Rodolfo are looking for accomplices for a carefully planned bank heist. After all, Rodolfo himself designed the bank back when he was an architect.

What begins as a burglary develops into an unusual heist in which two generations of criminals come face to face.

Short film *A Cor Da Ausência*

• BR 2026,
• 6 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Rafaele Caetano

A Queda do Céu

• Saturday 21 November 2026, 17:15
• BR/IT 2024,
• Documentary,
• 110 mins,
• Original version with subtitles
• Dir: Eryk Rocha and Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha

Inspired by the book of the same name by Davi Kopenawa and Bruce Albert, this documentary follows the Yanomami shaman and spokesperson Davi Kopenawa, as well as the community of Watorikɨ, during the sacred Reahu ritual. Drawing on Yanomami cosmology, the film prompts a profound reflection on the relationship between indigenous peoples, spirituality, memory, territory and the preservation of the forest.

In *The Falling Sky*, Davi Kopenawa’s warning about the destruction of the Amazon takes on cinematic and political power. The threat posed by the eponymous ‘falling sky’ becomes a powerful metaphor for reflecting on the consequences of environmental destruction, illegal gold mining, epidemics introduced by outsiders, and violence against indigenous peoples. The film invites the audience to listen to alternative ways of understanding the world and to recognise the central importance of indigenous perspectives in tackling the climate crisis.

Pequenas Criaturas

• 19:30
• BR 2025,
• 100 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Anne Pinheiro Guimarães
• Starring: Carolina Dieckmann, Théo Medon, Letícia Sabatella

The film is set in Brasília in 1986, as Brazil took its first steps towards redemocratisation. *Pequenas Criaturas* follows Helena and her two sons as they arrive in a city still in the making. Whilst her husband is away on business, Helena finds herself on her own in an unfamiliar daily routine and begins to question her decisions. Her teenage son rebels and discovers first love, whilst the youngest child is enchanted by unexpected friendships and unseen possibilities. In the midst of a country caught between the past and a possible future, each of them comes to realise, in their own way, that nothing will ever be the same again.

Precisamos Falar + Short film

• 21:45
• BR 2026,
• 101 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Rebeca Diniz, Pedro Waddington
• Starring: Marjorie Estiano, Alexandre Nero, Emílio de Mello and Hermila Guedes

Following a brutal attack on a homeless woman by her teenage sons, two couples are left with their lives in tatters. Faced with an unbearable truth, they must decide whether to cover for their own sons or hand them over to the authorities. As the crime lays bare privileges, failings and differing worldviews, family ties are put to the test and each character must confront the question nobody wants to answer: where does the line between love and responsibility lie? Based on the novel ‘Angerichtet’ by Herman Koch.

Short film ‘Uma Gota de Esperança’

• BR 2026,
• 7 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Daniel Leal

Feito Pipa + Short Film

• Sunday, 22 November 2026, 4.00 pm
• BR 2026,
• 114 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Allan Deberton
• Starring: Yuri Gomes, Teca Pereira, Lázaro Ramos, Carlos Francisco

Narciso + short film

• 18:00
• Brazil 2026,
• 90 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Jeferson De
• Starring: Arthur Ferreira, Seu Jorge, Ju Colombo, Bukassa Kabengele

Eleven-year-old Narciso, a black orphan boy, lives with Carmem and Joaquim alongside other children awaiting adoption. He dreams of having a family of his own, but is in for a bitter disappointment. To cheer him up, one of the children in the house gives him an old magic basketball and tells him that a ghost will appear and grant him any wish if he scores three baskets.

Quatro Meninas

• 8.00 pm
• BR 2025,
• 89 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Karen Suzane
• Starring: Alana Cabral, Ágatha Marinho, Dhara Lopes, Maria Ibraim & Duda Batsow

Brazil, 1884: Tita, Muanda, Lena and Francisca work as maids for four schoolgirls at a boarding school in the countryside. Freedom is nothing but a dream for them. When Lena enters into a secret romantic relationship and finds herself in danger as a result, escape becomes a necessity. The four decide to flee together. But their mistresses discover the plan and insist on accompanying them. They seek refuge on an abandoned ranch and must learn to live together under difficult conditions. Whilst the Black girls use their newfound freedom to take control of their own lives, experience love and shape their futures as they see fit, the white girls refuse to take responsibility for themselves. When danger catches up with them, they must all stick together to survive.

Os Braig Brothers Short Films

• Monday 23 November 2026, 6.00 pm
• Free admission
• Cinebrasil Lounge, Screen 2
• Sussuros do Samsara
• Contos Tulpa – The Storm
• Original version with English subtitles,
• BR 2025
• Discussion with directors Tales and Aiky Braig and producer Ana Valéria Braig,
• 90 mins

Letters to...

• 8.00 pm
• Theatre 2
• BR/MZ/PT 2025,
• Dir: Vânia Lima,
• 89 mins,
• Original version with subtitles
• Starring: Paulina Chiziane, Elisa Lucinda, Raquel Lima

Based on nine letters exchanged between Mozambique, Brazil and Portugal, Paulina Chiziane, Elisa Lucinda and Raquel Lima weave a poetic narrative about belonging, memory and the experience of the diaspora. Amidst hopes, worries and resistance, the film offers sensitive reflections on racism, machismo and xenophobia, thereby connecting different territories and life experiences within the Portuguese-speaking world.

O Samba Que Mora Aqui

• 21:45
• Theatre 3
• BR 2026,
• 84 mins,
• German with English subtitles,
• Documentary
• Dir: Vitor Rocha, Starring: Dona Cabocla, Riaçhão

Inspired by the gatherings organised by Dona Cabocla – a sort of Tia Ciata from Itapuã – *O Samba que Mora Aqui* takes us through backyards, traditional meeting places and homes where samba is passed down as a living, everyday practice and a shared heritage.

Through the voices and songs of masters of folk culture, Afro-Brazilian figures and the musical reflections of Letieres Leite, the documentary shows how a connection to ancestors, community and memory make samba one of Brazil’s most powerful forms of cultural expression. A film about musical traditions, collective memory and the living power of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Amuleto – Documentary

• 21:45
• Theatre 2
• BR 2026,
• 94 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Igor Barradas & Heraldo HB
• Followed by a discussion with the director, Igor Barradas

This documentary shows how artists from the fringes, such as Chico Santos, Erley José and Severino Dadá, contributed to the creation of *O Amuleto de Ogum* by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, a master of Cinema Novo. The documentary sheds light on class conflicts within national cinema, set against the backdrop of a seething melting pot of passion for filmmaking. It is more than just a historical record; it is a manifesto about how the periphery was not merely portrayed, but created cinema itself in the face of all adversity.

Cinebrasil Festival: Verouvindo – Short Films

• Tuesday 24 November 2026, 6.00 pm
• Free admission
• Cinebrasil Lounge
• Wadja BR, 2024,
• Original version with subtitles,
• 29 mins,
• Dir: Narriman Kauane and Pega-se facção BR, 2020, German subtitles, Dir: Thaís Braga 13 mins + discussions with Eliana Franco 90 mins

Aqui Não Entra Luz

• 8.00 pm
• BR 2025,
• Original version with English subtitles,
• 79 mins,
• Dir: Karol Maia – Documentary

As the daughter of a Black domestic worker, director Karol Maia embarks on a journey through Brazil in search of clues. Drawing on personal memories and conversations with women, she explores how the legacy of slavery continues to affect domestic work to this day, and how architecture itself has become a testament to racism and social exclusion.

Velhos Bandidos + short film A Cor Da Ausência

• 21:45
• BR 2026,
• 93 mins,
• Original version with subtitles,
• Dir: Cláudio Torres
• Starring: Fernanda Montenegro, Ary Fontoura, Bruna Marquezine, Vladimir Brichta, Lázaro Ramos