Faces of Central Brazil

Talk

Marginalized Voices in Vladimir Carvalho’s Cinema

Place:
CinéStarlight
Dates:
On 07.11.2026 at 10:00
With:
Dr Aline Fernandes Carrijo
Organizer:
Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History, Cultura Brasileira em Luxemburgo a.s.b.l., CNA

While Brasília is globally celebrated for its modernist architecture, the human and environmental costs of constructing Brazil’s inland capital remain largely invisible.

This special film lecture and screening features three short documentaries by Vladimir Carvalho (1935–2024), one of the pioneers of Brazilian counter-narrative cinema. Moving beyond official state propaganda, his films give voice to marginalized workers, quilombolas, and rural communities.

The event is organised by the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), Cultura Brasileira em Luxemburgo a.s.b.l., and the Centre national de l’audiovisuel (CNA).

About the Speaker

Dr Aline Fernandes Carrijo is a historian, journalist, and co-founder of Agência Mosaico. Originally from Goiás, she has built her academic and professional career around understanding Brazil through the lens of its roots in the country’s Central-West region.

She holds a PhD in Social History from the University of São Paulo (USP) and a master’s degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), with research exploring the intersections of culture, memory, and Brazil’s processes of modernization.

She also holds an MBA in Documentary Filmmaking from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-SP) and has more than ten years of experience in daily journalism and audiovisual production. Today, she focuses on applied research projects that build bridges between academia and society, translating complex issues into accessible, engaging, and impactful content.

She is currently a visiting researcher at the C²DH, University of Luxembourg.

About the Films

Three short documentaries by Vladimir Carvalho, screened in Brazilian Portuguese with English subtitles.

Quilombo (1975 | 23 min)

Traditional craft, community resistance, and land rights of an Afro-descendant rural community near the new capital.

Brasília segundo Feldman (1979 | 21 min)

Archival footage from 1959 deconstructing Brasília’s utopian myth through the harsh reality of construction workers (candangos).

A Paisagem Natural (1991 | 19 min)

A visual essay on the friction between the wild Cerrado biome, a jaguar hunter, and the modernist concrete city.

Programme

10:00 | Introduction (15 min)

Presentation of the Faces of Central Brazil digital public history project and Vladimir Carvalho’s documentary approach to "history against the grain".

10:15 | Film Screenings (63 min)

Screening of the three short documentaries, in Brazilian Portuguese with English subtitles.

11:20 | Open Discussion and Q&A

Discussion on modernist myths versus hidden labour, environmental impact, and decolonial digital public history.

The event will conclude with a small, informal reception.

Autres événements