Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita
A unique woman, determined to fulfill her divine mission of creating her own people, using a peculiar ability to produce clones of herself. Loosely inspired by the life and legacy of the historical figure known as Kimpa Vita, a Congolese heroine from the 17th century.
Interview with Director Catapreta
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We are taught from childhood to regard as heroes and historical references white characters, usually originating from European culture. The film addresses, albeit in a fable-like and fantastical manner, the life and legacy of the character Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita, an African woman with much stronger ties to Brazil than Pedro Alvares Cabral, the supposed "discoverer" of this country called Brazil.
I believe it's important to deconstruct certain narratives that are highly racist and to reestablish connections with our ancestral roots with the Black individuals who were enslaved. Our film aims to spark interest in this character, who is so little known to Brazilians but has deep connections to our national identity.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You will be in contact with a strange, surreal narrative, but one that will spark your interest in the historical figure of Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita (Kimpa Vita). The film is not a historical account; it is a fantastical and surreal plot, yet it is intriguing and distinctive, providing a unique experience for the viewer.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The violence of racism, xenophobia, war, and religious persecution, but also the perseverance, sense of community, and resilience of black people.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The movie script underwent sharp changes throughout the entire production process. This is due to the more artisanal and less industrial methodology that characterizes Director Catapreta's production. The team is quite small, which allows for a certain freedom to make changes throughout the process. These changes occurred for various reasons, including the improvement of the sequence and fluidity of scenes, choices of images converging towards a more defined visual identity, sounds and metaphors more suitable to the story, and also due to concerns about enhancing the narrative rhythm and the final aesthetic of the film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People have been praising the movie a lot and have been interested in finding out, after all, who Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita was. Last week, the film was awarded the Best Screenplay prize at the Brasília Brazilian Cinema Festival, the oldest and most important film festival in my country.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Both!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want my work, as a black artist from South America and the periphery, a man from the favela, to generate a shift in the traditional cinema circuit. I hope that other artists like me, who have similar origins, can also dream of going further...
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors and journalists.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Whether people like it, are bothered by it, or dislike it, that's okay. I just wouldn't want the film to have a null and irrelevant effect on the audience.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Questions that are less focused on the technical aspects of animation or too restricted to the film's aesthetics. I would like to discuss the relationship with the historical figure to whom the film's protagonist refers and explore the various layers of visual metaphors and the political relationship between the past and present of Brazil and countries like the Republic of the Congo.
Would you like to add anything else?
I used the book "Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita" by the author and history professor Patrício Batsîkama as the main reference for writing the script.
Another important piece of information is that usually the name Ñsîmba Vita is spelled as "Kimpa Vita" because that's how the Portuguese colonizers wrote it. "Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita" is the spelling that is more faithful to the Bantu people's writing in Africa.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am working on the production of another short film, tentatively titled Fundura, and on the screenplay development of a feature film called Pé Vermelho (Red Foot), which narrates the destruction of the city of Belo Horizonte by a supernatural force related to the Yoruba orisha Omolu, the deity of the earth and disease.
Interview: December 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita
A unique woman, determined to fulfill her divine mission of creating her own people, using a peculiar ability to produce clones of herself. Loosely inspired by the life and legacy of the historical figure known as Kimpa Vita, a Congolese heroine from the 17th century.
Length: 20:06
Director: Catapreta
Producer: Mirian Rolim
Writer: Catapreta
About the writer, director and producer:
CATAPRETA is a 47-year-old, Brazilian black artist, pixel mason, independent professional in cinema and video, animator, illustrator, designer, and plastic artist. Hailing from Belo Horizonte, a miner, and born in the favela and terreiros of Umbanda, Catapreta creates films, paints murals, and draws illustrations, all in service of a very particular narrative. He explores themes related to Orixás, Nkisses, Voduns, spiritual entities, and heroic personalities from the black diasporic legacy.
MIRIAN ROLIM Has a bachelor's degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (2010). She holds a degree in Visual Arts, with an emphasis on Animation Cinema. She works as a filmmaker for both independent and commercial films (director, animator, and screenwriter) and as a cultural producer. She collaborates with the Audiovisual Hub of Zona da Mata in the areas of management, communication, education, and animation.
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, buyers
Facebook: Filme DONA BEATRIZ ÑSÎMBA VITA
Instagram: @catapreta
Hashtags used: #catapreta #cinemabrasileiro #animation #blackcinema #kimpavita
Other: YouTube
Made in association with: Prefeitura Belo Horizonte
Funders:
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
27ª Mostra de Cinema de Tiradentes (27th Tiradentes Film Festival)