Ash Wednesday

It is the last day of the big carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro. Demétria, a single mother, is waiting for her daughter Cora in a favela. But instead of Cora, various men arrive: a priest, the governor and a policeman. A brutal police raid is underway, allegedly because of drug dealing. The police contemptuously call the inhabitants of the neighbourhood “favelados” and “slumdogs” and the military shoots even at unarmed children. Meanwhile, Demétria and the women around her desperately try to save their daughters and sons. Structural racism and social conflicts that have been smouldering in Brazil for decades are at the heart of this all-singing, all-dancing musical short that is brought to life with the help of rhythmic drumming and other Brazilian sounds. Directors João Pedro Prado and Bárbara Santos recreated an authentic favela setting for their drama filmed at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf which features top-notch performances from their cast. (Berlinale)