First menstruation is the subject of a film entirely spoken in Guarani

A short film entirely spoken in the Guarani language, Um Tempo para Mim, is participating in the Latin American Competition 2023 – Mostra Ecospeaker, in São Paulo, and will be screened in the competitive section of the Festival Guarnicê de Cinema, in São Luís, on the next day 14. Directed and produced by Paola Mallmann, the film was shot in the Koenju indigenous community, in São Miguel das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul. The short was made through the Audiovisual Public Notice between Fronteiras, promoted by the State Institute of Cinema of Rio Grande do Sul, in partnership with the Institute of Audiovisual Arts of the Government of the Province of Misiones, Argentina, which asked for themes related to the borders of the two countries , where Guarani culture is very present. Paola Mallmann told Agência Brasil that it was based on a theme that has been gaining visibility and that, for a long time, was surrounded by taboos and silenced, because it addressed menstruation, health and the female reproductive cycle, a phase that begins with menarche , scientific name given to the first menstruation. In 2019, Paola participated in training on menstrual education with Colombian researcher Carolina Ramirez, who addressed the theme of first menstruation and body care in schools. “I had already come from research and engagement with indigenous communities, especially Guarani, and I also knew a little about reports from Guarani women about body care and social practices at this point in life”. Paola then decided that this would be the central theme of her short film, based on the context of Guarani culture, “with the purpose of shedding light on this topic, which is sensitive and also quite political”. Actors The cast of the film, with non-professional actors, is led by young Guarani women Juliana Almeida Timoteo and Clarice de Oliveira. “I chose to make this short based on the Tekoa Koenju community, in São Miguel das Missões, where there is a very strong presence of indigenous audiovisual filmmakers. The proposal was to do it with this community, which is closer to the border”. The assistant director was the indigenous Luz Duarte, who was very important because the short film was shot in the Guarani language. “Her presence was fundamental for this to happen”, said Paola, who collaborated with other indigenous directors in the script and in the choice of the cast. With executive production by Beto Rodrigues, the short film won the Kikito award for best soundtrack in the Brazilian short film category, at the last edition of the Gramado Festival, in 2022, and also won the award for best direction at the 16th Curta Taquary, in Pernambuco , this year. The film is 21 minutes long and is signed by Opará Cultural and Galo de Briga Filmes. According to the director of the film, the most impressive part of the work was the participation of the girls Juliana and Clarice, the protagonists. Paola took the two to the first screening of the film, at the Festival de Gramado, after seeing it at school, in the village, as soon as the short film was ready. “It was very exciting. They also appropriated the theme, talking about the experience of acting in cinema, in audiovisual. And the short played a lot of the role of promoting this debate, among them, mainly, because it is a more veiled topic, and the discussion brought empowerment to them”. Juliana, in particular, really liked the idea of ​​continuing to make movies. “I wanted to know when the next [curta-metragem]”. The young woman participates in singing groups in the village and wants to be at the forefront of cultural expressions. Feature film Paola is currently finalizing her first documentary feature film, entitled Kunha Karai e as Narrativas da Terra. “When I finished my master’s degree in anthropology, I had made my first short film, called Minha Longa Passo, in three villages in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. And, during the master’s process, I had a very close relationship with indigenous women”. It was there that she saw the role played by indigenous women in the struggle to defend territory, cultures and biodiversity. The new film was being elaborated based on the experience with some Guarani women leaders, both internally, in the communities, and politically, which inspired the director of the short film Um Tempo para Mim. By also accompanying the women’s marches in Brasília, she included participants from different ethnic groups. “I went to Acre filming”. The film is expected to be released in the second half of this year. The feature film was the only project from Rio Grande do Sul selected in a public notice by the Ministry of Culture in 2018. “It got stuck”, which explains the delay in gaining access to resources. The call was aimed at stimulating first-time directors of feature films within the African and indigenous theme. The title was changed, for correction, at 13:10

Agência Brasil