How the Machine Works: Brazil’s New Black Cinema Series

In this article, Kênia Freitas documents the growing presence of Black filmmakers in Brazil’s independent cinema exhibition circuits and investigates the larger network of art collectives, film clubs, and film festivals that are contributing to the recent racial reconfiguration in Brazilian cinema. Focusing on three new black film series and festivals—Mostra de Cinema Negro Brasileiro (Paraná), Mostra EGBÉ de Cinema Negro (Sergipe), and Negritude Infinita (Ceará)—all situated outside the more traditional Rio/São Paulo axes of national cinema, Freitas’ discussion of these nascent exhibition networks suggests future strategies for structural transformational change.