Portuguese-language documentaries about community climate response

November 11, 2019 8:33 AM

I'm looking for Portuguese-language documentary films that show how a Portuguese-speaking community has come together in response to a climate event.

The event could have been to a climate-related disaster, or it could be global climate change in general. However, the community response and the Lusophone angle are the important things here.

My searches have turned up lots of material about the Amazon deforestation. Unless there's a community angle, this isn't what I need.

Thanks for any help / obrigado pela ajuda!

posted by sleevener to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: This is very short, and could do with a lot more context, but here's a cool performance in which primary school children in Bahia sing about ways of preventing the spread of the Zika virus by encouraging people to eliminate sources of stagnant water in their environment.
posted by dr. boludo at 11:53 AM on November 11, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: And while it's not a documentary, Michael Silvers' book Voices of Drought is an excellent, deep dive into the relationship between popular music and environmental crisis in NE Brazil. His biblio- and videographies might be good places to extend your search.
posted by dr. boludo at 11:57 AM on November 11, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There is an organization called SOS Mata Atlântica, which has a YouTube channel by the same name, where there are plenty of videos about what the organization and its membership are doing to preserve and strengthen the Atlantic Forest. My favorite is called “Faz xixi no banho”, which means, “pee in the shower”, with the obvious goal of reducing water waste. But that’s a cute children’s video, there is plenty more skewed towards more mature audiences.
And while it’s not directly addressing a climate angle, there is a beautiful documentary called “Wasteland” (Lixo Extraordinário in Portuguese) that follows Carioca artist Vik Muniz in his quest to use trash picked out of landfills as art. The movie is a compelling portrait of poverty, waste and beauty in Brazil.
posted by msali at 7:31 PM on November 11, 2019

Response by poster: Hey I know that "pee in the shower" video! They showed it in class when I was learning Portuguese. Thanks for the recommendations.
posted by sleevener at 4:15 PM on November 16, 2019