O Samba do Crioulo Doido: Ruler and Compass
Brazil and France, 2020 - 15 minutes
Script and Direction: Calixto Neto
With: Luiz de Abreu, Calixto Neto, Jackeline Elesbão, Pedro Ivo Santos, and Fabrícia Martins
Camera: Calixto Neto and Anderson Feliciano
Editing: Calixto Neto, Virginie Aubry, and Étienne Aussel
Support: Centre National de la Danse and Festival Panorama
Filmed in Salvador, Brazil, and Pantin, France, in 2020.
The intergenerational encounter between two Black artists is a (sadly) rare and incredible event. Aware of this unique opportunity, Calixto decided to document this meeting, that took place in Salvador, Bahia. The film showcases the process of transmitting a historic dance piece that is significant to the Brazilian artistic community, especially the Black community, thanks to its political strength, genius, and powerful message of resistance.
Gilberto Gil, one of Brazil's most famous musicians, once said that Bahia gave him "ruler and compass," meaning Bahia taught him how to live and be himself. O Samba do Crioulo Doido: Ruler and Compass is a necessary gesture to ensure that the stories of Black artists are no longer erased or forgotten in our historical narratives.
Pro Futuro Quilombo
France, 2020 - 20 minutes
Script, Direction, Camera, and Editing: Calixto Neto
Acknowledgments: Clément Vergé and Carolina Campos
Commissioned by: Brazil Hijacked (Eduardo Bonito and Isabel Ferreira), France, 2020
Created as part of the Brazil Hijacked program, Pro Futuro Quilombo is a letter addressed to the future. Produced in the context of the health crisis caused by COVID-19, the film takes the form of a spoken statement, with the hope that one day it might be performed live, as soon as theater doors reopen.
Pro Futuro Quilombo provides a snapshot of Brazilian society from the perspective of a Black community member, highlighting the three plagues afflicting Brazilian society in August 2020: the plague of racism, brought to global attention following the murder of George Floyd in the United States; the plague of fascism, threatening a resurgence, embodied by President Jair Bolsonaro; and the plague of COVID-19, which, exacerbated by the other two, has ravaged Brazilian society.
