“Weaving Freedom” Video Documentary

“Weaving Freedom” Video Documentary

What it is

A documentary that reveals the contradictions of the Brazilian prison system from women’s perspectives. The film shows the harsh reality of prisons from current and former inmates, women that work in the prison and criminal justice system, researchers and activists. It also presents alternatives, including cooperativism and entrepreneurship behind and beyond prison bars.

Objectives

From the perspective of women, specially female inmates who end up suffering doubled prejudice for having a criminal record in an extremely chauvinistic society, the women in this documentary help us better understand the drama of mass incarceration and how “the war on drugs” has been furthering the power of criminal factions in Brazil.

Duas senhoras sentadas costuram lado a lado em uma oficina de artesanato.

Inmates work in the cooperative of Ananindeua, Pará

Cela escura em prisão feminina com camas em beliche.

Women′s penitentiary in Ananindeua, Pará

Learn more

Watch “Weaving Freedom”:

This is a 6-minute video the received the 2017 Nelson Mandela Award from the UN, and it served as a starting point for the 25-minute documentary “Weaving Freedom”.

Links

Cineastas são premiados em evento da ONU pelo Dia Internacional da Paz” (This is an article that was published on the United Nations Brazil website announcing that the trailer of “Weaving Freedom” had won the 2017 Nelson Mandela Award)