Film Forum

WINNER, DIRECTOR’S AWARD, VENICE DAYS
 
On the Amazon rainforest island of Marajó, 13-year-old Tielle lives in an isolated riverside enclave with her family. She idolizes her older sister, who escaped the area with “a good man” (according to her mother) on one of the commercial river barges. But as she matures and learns the true price her sister paid to leave, she fears for the safety of her younger sister, and resolves to challenge the normalized abuse of women and girls in her community. Filmmaker Brennand, who spent 10 years researching Indigenous tribes of the Amazonian rainforest, based this feature debut on true stories to create a sensitive and stirring portrait of cycle-breaking resilience.   

Presented with support from The Robert E. Appel Fund for Spanish and Portuguese Language Films and The Endowed Fund for Emerging Filmmakers

2024     107 MIN.     BRAZIL / PORTUGAL / BELGIUM     IN PORTUGUESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES     KIMSTIM 

Reviews

“Leaves you stunned—for the story it tells, for how it tells it, and for the piercing performances of its actors... 'MANAS,' in Portuguese, means 'sisters.' Indeed, this is a film about sisterhood, in which women, especially the younger ones, look to protect each other... Brennand demonstrates a rare sensitivity and respect towards all the young women who are victims of abuse, from whom she has collected testimonies during her long years of research.”
– Vittoria Scarpa, Cineuropa

“Earnest, heartfelt and genuinely impactful... Based on true testimonies that the director gathered from victims of abuse (to whom the film is dedicated), MANAS is a heartbreakingly honest and deeply unsettling account of the obstacles that come when attempting to break the cycle of abuse, carefully curated by a filmmaker whose attention to detail and genuine compassion prevent the film from being an overwrought jumble of ideas. Instead, the film is a compelling drama about a young woman trying to find her place in the world and learning the harsh realities that come with attempting to alter a system that has resisted change for generations, daring to unseat decades of abuse in anticipation of leaving a better future for those that will hopefully be born into more positive circumstances.” 
– Matthew Joseph Jenner, International Cinephile Society

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