Dry Ground Burning

Tuesday 26 July 2022 at 7pm
The Elizabeth Picture Theatre

Dry Ground Burning | Mato seco em chamas, Joana Pimenta & Adirley Quierós, 2022, 153m

A queer female gang from the favela of Sol Nascente moves in on the illegal petrol trade of Brazil in this fascinating docu-fiction hybrid from the new collaborative partnership of Joana Pimenta and Adirley Quieró. Berlinale 2022.

Joana Pimenta comes from a background in experimental ethnography, Adirley Quieró’s earlier works are politically conscious thrillers, and Dry Ground Burning reflects these influences in a film that melds the immersive chiaroscuro collaborative portraiture of Pedro Costas with the classical genre touchstones of Mad Max and John Carpenter.

Joana Darc Furtado and Léa Alves da Silva perform as sisters Chitara and Léa, and stylised versions of themselves, as they lead their team, negotiate with rival gangs, and undertake their perilous oil theft against the background of a militarised and authoritarian government. Filmed over three years, some scenes are actuality, others performed, while others blur the line with giddy staging. Deeply political, Dry Ground Burning takes place against the backdrop of increasing crackdowns against the social mix of favelas and the entrenchment of the Bolsanaro government.

Free to all members with membership available online or at the Elizabeth box office.

With thanks to Terratreme.

Unrated 18+