By Yula Rocha
London, 26 July 2023- Vale? Is It Worth It? Five artists in the front line against Brazil’s worst environmental crime: the UK Premier announced for Autumn 2023
Marking four years since the worst environmental crime in Brazil, People’s Palace Projects (PPP) will premier the documentary Vale? (30’) in October in the UK. The audience will have an opportunity to hear directly from the director Marcelo Barbosa (Indianara, 2019. Mubi), an award winning Brazilian film maker, about the production and the important environmental, social and cultural issues the film raises.
The screenings are confirmed for London, Oxford, Manchester, Cardiff and the South Wales Valleys (Treorchy, Aberdare, Abertillery, Wrexham and Merthyr Tydfil, in partnership with Catherine Paskell and Dirty Protest Threatre ), followed by Q&A sessions with Marcelo Barbosa and People’s Palace Projects artistic Director Paul Heritage.
PPP will also be hosting workshops for young documentary film makers. If you are interested in participating in the workshops or hosting a screening at another venue, please contact [email protected]
Watch the trailer:
Sinopse:
Vale? is the first film in Brazil about the collapse of a mining dam that killed almost 300 people in Brumadinho, to focus on the impact of this tragedy on the arts and culture of this region.
Five local artists share their experiences, grief, worries and hope with music, poetry, rap and circus performances.
In Vale?, the clown Jô Alves (Passagem de Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil), actor and theatre director Lucas Fabrício (Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil), drummer and educator Rei Batuque (community of new generations of former slaves, Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil), musician Vitor Elias (Band São Sebastião, Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil) and rapper and poet Thiago SKP (Cultural Centre Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Itabira, Minas Gerais, Brazil) – reflect about the impact of mining activity and the disasters caused by the industry on their work as artists. They believe that despite the environmental crimes, arts and culture are powerful tools of resilience and have been used to straighten social connections and bonds for the affected communities.
‘The film’s intention is not to litigate the actions of a negligent corporation, nor to focus on its crimes. Instead, we want to pay a tribute to the communities affected by deadly extractive mining in Brazil and shine a light on the creative resistance of a handful of artists in the region.’ Paul Heritage
‘How much is life worth? How much? How much? The pain of those who cry, how much is it worth? Generating jobs, to put food on the table, they don’t do it for you but for the company’s profit. Lyrics by Thiago SKP
The mining cited in many of the Brazilian greatest poet Carlos Drummond’s verses also permeates the art of rapper and educator from Itabira, Thiago SKP, author of the documentary’s theme song.
‘This song and the film urge us to have the courage to question what has been happening far too long, so we can push for some change’, says SKP.
The film is a result of an international research project Roots of Resilience that mapped the value of tangible and intangible heritage of the Iron Quadrangle in Brazil in partnership with five local artistic organisations directly impacted by mining activity. The study also looked at the effects on the environment in the region in collaboration with artists.