A Brazilian filmmaker, Laís Santos Araújo, is expanding the feature-length treatment of her Berlinale-winning short film 'Infantaria' via a Cannes residency and a CNC grant. The project will focus on the complex family dynamics and political context of life in a criminalized abortion environment in Brazil's Northeast.
Brazilian Helmer Laís Santos Araújo Expands Berlinale-Winning Short ‘ Infantaria ’ Into Feature, Backed by Cannes Residency , CNC Grant The project is produced by Pedro Krull at Aguda Cinema, emblematic of a wider regional surge, with the company positioning itself as a creative incubator for emerging voices in Alagoas in Brazil's Northeast Amazon MGM’s ‘Vengeance’ Hits No. 1 Across Prime Video Territories, Fueling Pablo Cruz’s Push for Mexican Genre at ScaleSet against the landscapes of Alagoas in Brazil’s Northeast, the film expands the universe glimpsed in the short; a family ecosystem orbiting around Ludmilla, a seamstress who quietly runs an underground abortion service from her home, renting out a bed to women undergoing the illegal procedure.
Where the short narrowed in on young Joana, the feature widens its lens to take in Ludmilla herself and Eduardo described by Araújo as “lonely and confused and who I want to be better understood. ” The expansion was never the plan.
Female Film Club Returns to Cannes With Expanded Short Film Fund “It wasn’t something that was planned, we never made the short with the intention of making it a feature or as a ‘proof of concept,'” Araújo told.
“But I kept thinking about the characters and the universe from the short. We only see a brief moment of that family dynamics on the short and I felt so much more could happen at that house. ”Set in a Brazil where abortion remains criminalized, “Infantaria” threads a children’s-eye perspective through a place shaped by military control, clandestine economies and the quiet violence of silence though Araújo is firm that the political dimensions are absorbed rather than declared.
“The film will be focused on the feelings of those three people, dealing with life around those things. In life there’s always a wider political context around us, and we are not always able or willing to understand it, discuss it or act towards it. In the film, instead of fighting against it, the family is simply dealing with the repercussions of this world.
” That refusal to editorialize, she argues, is precisely what will allow the film to function as national portraiture in miniature.
“The essence of the story, it being a tale about a family disintegrating because of the need to keep quiet about quite a normal, common thing — abortion — is very preserved. I believe the film condenses in the family what around goes on in Brazil: something that is widespread but is dealt with as a taboo, having harsh consequences on women and society as a whole.
” Stylistically, the feature will mark a break from the more controlled compositional grammar of Araújo’s short work, swapping stillness for momentum.
“I know that I want the film to feel alive, with movement and a faster pace than the short. So far I have opted for a much more composed way of framing my stories, which I deeply enjoy, but I want to bring in more movement and life to this feature. ” The Alagoas setting and also the director’s home state remains a guiding visual anchor, and counterpoint to the family’s interior life.
“I am very inspired by the contrast of beauty and sadness and I feel like growing up in Alagoas was central to that. I want to film there, and register those beautiful landscapes that are in my mind. It’s natural for me to think of the film having sunny, colorful visuals, even if the feelings and tone of the film are not always like that.
Because of growing up there, it is really always sunny and warm — even when you’re sad, even during tragic moments; and that’s how I see the film. ” The project’s development trajectory has been notably robust.
“Infantaria” recently scooped a CNC writing grant following a pitching session before a jury comprising Gabrielle Dumon, Payal Kapadia and Hédi Zardi, and has been selected for La Fabrique Cinéma, BrLab, CineMundi and MAFF. It previously benefited from the year-long Paradiso Incubator backed by Projeto Paradiso, which delivered both international and national script consultancy alongside a dossier tailored for the global market.
Of the Cannes Résidence itself, Araújo is unequivocal: “The residency was amazing with the project, opened many opportunities for me and gave time to develop it better. We were able to talk about our films with people and directors we admire, such as Luc Dardenne and Kelly Reichardt, and hear about their perspectives on filmmaking. It’s truly a good program with a strong curatorship; it also gives you quite a life experience, and the opportunity to be around inspiring people.
” For producer Pedro Krull at Aguda Cinema, the project is emblematic of a wider regional surge, with the company positioning itself as a creative incubator for emerging Alagoas voices.
“It is in the Northeast of Brazil where the most interesting, exciting and innovative film ideas are being born and produced, and to be a small part of it is really a pleasure. Aguda Cinema is a boutique production company that likes to creatively develop films together with young authors, especially from Alagoas. And ‘Infantaria’ is where this philosophy is being most applied.
” That regional optimism is, however, tempered by structural realism — a sense that the current wave of opportunity is fragile and policy-dependent.
“Brazil has a lot of disparities between many things, and that includes the regions. In our state, we are only now beginning to do feature films. Because now we have a federal politics of sharing the funds with those places before considered undeveloped in the cinema area. I feel like it’s a moment of opportunities, but we have a lot of work to guarantee that it’s not a passing thing.
” With a budget set at €880,000 and €590,000 already in place the team is in Cannes seeking the final building blocks.
“We want to take our time in Infantaria to develop the script even further and to really connect with European partners and audiences. We don’t want to rush it. So we are interested not only in the financial aspect of a partnership with co-producers, sales and distributors but in how it will contribute to the film at this final development stage.
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Brazilian Filmmaker Laís Santos Araújo Berlinale-Winning Short Film Infantaria Feature-Length Expansion Cannes Residency CNC Grant Brazil's Northeast Criminalized Abortion Environment Complex Family Dynamics Political Context
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