“There is nothing more different from a homosexual than another homosexual” – these are the words from Brazilian (and openly gay) congressman Jean Wyllis in the documentary Favela Gay.
The 2014 documentary, directed by Rodrigo Felha, was shot in eight different slums (known as favelas): Cidade de Deus, Rio das Pedras, Rocinha, Complexo do Alemão, Complexo da Maré e Andaraí. In the film, Felha tries to show the everyday life of gay and transgender people within the favelas – a community marked by intolerance and homophobia. Felha says that his priority was always “paint a picture and value the people themselves. The slum where they live is only a backdrop. ”
The director is aware that his film is unable to paint the full picture of LGBT life inside the favelas. Felha recognizes that the most difficult thing when finalizing the film, was to go through the many good stories that had been told stating that “of course we could not include them all”.
Felha also added that the cinema is always ahead when talking about homosexuality and homophobia and has always been a place to promote healthy discussions around potentially controversial issues. It is important to mention that the the film was made with limited financial resources; investors were afraid to inject money into a production with these themes – slums and homosexuality – two aspects of culture that are regarded to many as opposites. Conversation around slums and homosexuality is still very much on the polemic side.
Favela Gay is currently on show in a few film festivals in Rio de Janeiro – hopefully, it will make its way to the US and Europe eventually.
via IG
