Audiovisual initiatives and community leadership in BH

The deconstruction of a negative visual identity of the favela is a challenge that comes from the community itself

Talking about the hills has always been synonymous with violence, even more so when the disclosure is made by the mainstream media. This social stigmatization reinforces the idea that the favela is an environment for the spread of crime. Gradually, the press has shown the side of the regions most in need that has not been explored, but there is still a lot to show.

In view of this, several projects are being carried out by residents of the villages and slums of Belo Horizonte and the metropolitan region. Ong Contacto is one of these non-profit organizations that has been operating for 20 years in the outskirts of Minas Gerais. It is currently producing the Periphery Cinematographic Circuit project, in which audiovisual workshops will be offered to communities and the exhibition of independent films.

The Circuit has among its objectives, to bring the audiovisual relationship closer to the population of the periphery, in order to inform and train a training audience for new directors. The founder, Helder Quiroga, stresses the importance of seeing films made by people from the community on the screen for the community, as this is a way to promote cinema and highlight the creative potential of this audience.

Helder is a director, producer and audiovisual coordinator at NGO Contacto. He says that during the activities carried out by the NGO in the hills of the city, the dialogue with the population has provided ideas for workshops and promotions suitable for each neighborhood. Residents called for the implementation of courses in acting, video editing, video clip production, among others.

The NGO operates in Bairro Serra, south of the capital, a place of circulation of the residents of the agglomeration and of the inhabitants of Bairro Savassi, a privileged place in the city. The producer comments that the choice of the house for the creation of the NGO was based on the idea of ​​inclusion. The search for interaction between classes is categorical in favor of the fight against prejudice and aims at bringing together the different. “So much so that the rich young man can know the poor and not be afraid of them, or the opposite, so that even the poor can see the rich without distancing himself, like a human being with dreams, characteristics and creativity in common,” he explains.

The Circuit has already had a previous edition with over 1,300 participants and has provided an exchange of relationships and a network of solidarity between the peripheries. “Promote film production in the suburbs, a critical look at reality based on Brazilian films, encourage coexistence, the exchange of knowledge between professionals in the sector and young people from the suburbs who want to work in the area, and obviously contribute to greater solidarity and fairness, having the audiovisual as an element of social transformation ”, concluded the producer.

The action of democratizing and demystifying the elite image of cinema was developed in Minas and has inspired multiple projects that highlight the favelado as the protagonist on the scene.

Discover other projects:

Cine Club Social – Film screenings focusing on social issues, encouraging viewers’ critical thinking in communities.

movie night – Free movie show on the streets of the suburbs of BH and the metropolitan region.

Minas Cine project – Aims to develop a platform for the articulation, production, dissemination and training of new audiovisual and cinematographic managers and directors in Minas Gerais.

Muquifu TV – Broadcast on Youtube, Muquifu broadcasts news about the Quilombos Museum and Urban Favelados.

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.