One day in the most unequal neighborhood in São Paulo.

Interview with Writer/Director Thiago B. Mendonça

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

This film was made to explicity discuss the extreme conditions of inequality that people live in in Brazil, especially the way the State attacks the poorest. It is also an attempt to demonstrate the rise of fascismo amongst the daily lives of the dominant classes in São Paulo and in Brazil.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

“Worlds on Edge” is a film about a torn up world. Brazil’s celebrated image around the world is a country deeply rooted in extreme inequality and a place where the poor cannot exercise their citizenship completely. The São Paulo elite was one of the most influential social groups to push the Coup, happening now in Brazil. In this film you can actually see how this elite thinks, how it lives and how it acts toward the maintenance of the perverse Brazilian system.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The film was inspired by the German classic Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis. The idea was to show a day in the most unequal neighborhood of São Paulo. How do people live their lives and images in that daily life but also how does micro fascism emerge, how does the logic of police violence works (São Paulo’s police force is one of the most lethal in the world, achieving a number of deaths similar to those in countries at war) and why there’s no dialogue between these two torn up worlds. I believe those to be universal themes: the denial of the other (the immigrant, the poor, the non white), the rise of fascism and police violence, these are all themes that must be discussed everywhere in the world.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

We had a very simple script for this film from the beginning. During the filming process it grew more complex. It was really a total immersion in that world that we were trying to portray. After this long process a lot of our previous ideas took new meaning. We can actually say that at each step of the way we would think of new steps and rethink the writing process.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

One thing that really surprised me was the realization that this film, initially thought to speak of a very local matter, spoke also to different parts of the world, different people. We’ve had great discussions about it in both the U.S. and Chile - especially concerning gentrification, a common issue in capitalism.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Certainly, I've been both surprised and challenged by the realization that there are problems much closer and larger then we thought.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We would like to give the film the chance to be watched. We’d like more people to be touched and to discuss its theme and its issues.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We are always interested in broader festival circulation. We’ve also a growing interest in distributors and sales agents.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I’d like the film to bring up discussions about violence and inequality in Brazil and questions about how day-to-day micro fascism is born.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Inequality and violence

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We’ve been working on three new films also revolving around themes that discuss reality in contemporary Brazil, the newest one to come out is “Young and Miserable or a Man who shouts is not a bear dancing”, our first feature film.

Interview: September 2016

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Worlds on edge

One day in the most unequal neighborhood in São Paulo.

Length: 25 min

Director: Thiago B. Mendonça, Renata Jardim

Producer: Renata Jardim

Writer: Thiago B. Mendonça

About the writer, director and producer:

Key cast:

Looking for producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists

Release date:09/2015