BRUK DOCS

Based on Entangled City, the forthcoming book by Gabriel Feltran, HER FAMILY will follow the real story of Ivete, her children, grandchildren and extended family, over five years to give a picture of everyday life in an area with the presence of the Primeiro Comando do Capital (PCC), the most important criminal group in Brazil. By shooting for periods of weeks at a time over a several years, the documentary will attempt to capture and portray slices of reality Ivete and other family members experience in the harsh sub-world of São Paulo’s suburbs. Drawing on 20 years research with Ivete’s family, some of which is in Entangled Cities, the form will be mostly actuality, with the length of filming allowing for life’s natural drama to unfold.

 

Ivete’s story is typical of millions of mothers in Brazil. With little hope for better economic conditions, she headed from the poorer northeast towards the big cities in the south looking for work. Between 1950 and 1980, the country’s rural to urban ratio went from 80:20 to 20:80, with a boom in industry giving rise to factory jobs for unskilled labourers. In that period, São Paulo’s population grew from vastly. Violent and organised crime increased since the 1980s. Among other consequences of this huge urban shift was the emergence of the PCC (Primeiro Comando do Capital), a criminal group who came to dominate São Paulo’s peripheries and are an undeniable presence in the lives of its citizens. 

 

In HER FAMILY, the relationship between work, family and crime will be explored through following the lives (or Ivete’s presence/ actions in relation to the lives) of her children and grandchildren who, to small and large extents have been or are involved with the PCC. Of her children, two were killed, three are in prison (a system under the control of the PCC) and three are trabalhadores, or workers. The film will show how they manage to navigate in a world where the PCC - and its rules - affect their lives in diverse ways and not always to their detriment.

 

Alongside the story of Ivete, this series will bring in the actual process of the filmmaking as part of the narrative structure. Each year, a short, edited film from film will be created and then discussed in the community. This becomes a central part of the film - its spine, raising discussion of what it should or shouldn't be saying, and perhaps contributions about what should should be in the next short film.  And what as film makers you think should be shown - and what will make a film that people will watch. That way - all the issues of poverty, gangs, violence etc are discussed by the people living it rather than the experts. And somewhere in the gap between the framing of their world which they are invited to critique and add to, and the world itself emerges a richer understanding of their lives and the issues confronting them.  It also allows for quite a flexible structure, to go off and explore a particular direction and come back again with the central spine being the filmmakers and the community making the film together.

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