The Hot Docs winner, in contention for the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Short Film, screens three times at America’s largest documentary festival before travelling to Los Angeles and London.
London and New York, 13 November 2026 – The short documentary Replikka, co-directed by Indigenous filmmaker Piratá Waurá (Xingu territory, Brazil) and director Heloisa Passos, makes its US Première at DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, with three screenings in New York on 13, 15 and 16 November. On Tuesday 17 November, the film will have a special screening at the headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. Both directors are in New York for Q&As.
Replikka then travels to Los Angeles, where producer Mark Slagle will introduce the film at the Watch Shorts Showcase on Sunday 22 November. In London, producer Yula Rocha will introduce the screening at Genesis Cinema on Wednesday 2 December.
Replikka is in contention for the shortlist for Best Documentary Short Film at the 99th Academy Awards. Its win for Best International Short Documentary at Hot Docs in May 2026, North America’s largest documentary festival, made it eligible to compete. It is the first Brazilian short co-directed by an Indigenous filmmaker to receive the Hot Docs award. The Academy announces its shortlists on Tuesday, 15 December 2026.
“An unforgettable look at Wauja culture and their efforts to protect their land, traditions, and indigenous stories. The beautiful photography and rhythmic sound design impressed the jury, as did its urgent call against the erasure of indigenous culture and memory, and its unique perspective from within the Wauja community.” — Hot Docs 2026 Jury
The film culminates nearly ten years of collaborative research between People’s Palace Projects / Queen Mary University of London [link], Factum Foundation, anthropologists, archaeologists, and the Wauja people, centred on preserving their sacred cave, the Kamukuwaká. Produced by PPP/QMUL (UK), 1504 (USA) and Maquina Filmes and coproduced by Performas Produções, Fenda and Maria Carlota Bruno (Brazil).
Screening Details
New York: US Première, DOC NYC, with Q&A with Piratá Waurá and Heloisa Passos
- Friday 13 November 2026, 4:30 pm. IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014
- Sunday 15 November 2026, 11:30 am. Village East by Angelika, 181–189 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
- Monday 16 November 2026, 9:30 pm. Village East by Angelika, Theatre 3, 181–189 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
- Tickets: docnyc.net
New York: Special screening at UNDP headquarters
- Tuesday, 17 November 2026. Reception from 12:30 pm, screening at 1:00 pm
- Venue: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 304 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017
- With: Piratá Waurá and Heloisa Passos (directors)
Los Angeles: Watch Shorts Showcase (for Academy members only)
- Sunday, 22 November 2026. Reception at 6:00 pm, screening at 7:00 pm
- Venue: Wilshire Screening Room, 8670 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 112, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
- Introduced by: Mark Slagle/ 1504 Studio (producer)
London: Genesis Cinema
- Wednesday 2 December 2026, 6:20 pm
- Venue: Genesis Cinema, 93–95 Mile End Road, London E1 4UJ
- Introduced by: Yula Rocha/ People’s Palace Projects/ QMUL (producer)
- Tickets: genesiscinema.co.uk
About Replikka
Replikka follows the inauguration ritual of a full-scale replica of the sacred Kamukuwaká cave, vandalised in 2018. The cave is the most important cultural heritage site of the Xingu peoples, listed by IPHAN, Brazil’s national heritage institute. The replica was created from a 3D scan of the original engravings, combining cutting-edge technology with ancestral Indigenous wisdom.
Synopsis
Replikka (D: Piratá Waurá, Heloisa Passos | P: Mark Slagle, Heloisa Passos, Yula Rocha | Brazil, USA, UK | 2025 | 16 min). In Replikka, technology and Indigenous wisdom merge, creating a contemplative journey and meditation on memory, identity, loss and rebirth. As an act of resistance, the story examines the Xinguano people’s ancestral truths and sacred territories in the face of destruction. Spoken entirely in the Indigenous language Aruak, and made with the support of young people from the village. With English subtitles.
Voices from the Film
“The replica is an act of resistance to preserve our history, culture and cosmology for future generations.” — Akari Waurá, chief of the Topepeweke village
“Replikka journey recognises not only our work, but our people’s struggle for memory and the demarcation of our lands.” — Piratá Waurá, director
Festival Journey
Awards
- Best Direction & Best Sound Editing, Festival de Brasília, Brazil (Sept. 2025)
- Canal Brasil Best Short Film Award, Panorama Coisa de Cinema, Brazil (Mar. 2026)
- Honourable Mention Best Ibero-American Short, FICG, Guadalajara, Mexico (Apr. 2026)
- Best International Short Documentary, Hot Docs, Toronto, Canada (May 2026)
Nominations
- Nominee, Best Short Documentary, Grande Otelo (Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro), Brazil (2026)
Official selections and screenings
- Official Selection Première Brasil, Festival do Rio, Brazil (Oct. 2025)
- Mostra Ecofalante “Territórios e Memória”, São Paulo, Brazil (Jun. 2026)
- UK Première, Brazil on Film, BFI Southbank, London (Jun. 2026)
- Festival Guarnacê de Cinema, São Luís, Brazil (Jul. 2026)
- US Première, DOC NYC, New York (13, 15 & 16 Nov. 2026)
- Special screening, UNDP headquarters, New York (17 Nov. 2026)
- Watch Shorts Showcase, Los Angeles (22 Nov. 2026)
- Genesis Cinema, London (2 Dec. 2026)
Credits: Replikka
Title: Replikka (16’) | Language: Aruak (subtitles in PT, EN, FR, ES)
Directors: Piratá Waurá and Heloisa Passos | Producers: Heloisa Passos, Mark Slagle, Yula Rocha | Executive Producers: Mark Slagle, Andrea Lanzoni | Production: Assoc. Indígena Ulupuwene, People’s Palace Projects / Queen Mary University of London, 1504, Máquina Filmes
Premières: World Première: Festival de Brasília 2025 | North American Première: Hot Docs 2026 | UK Première: BFI Southbank 2026 | US Première: DOC NYC 2026
Support the film: the directors are crowdfunding travel and festival costs through Seed & Spark. [link]