THIS IS BALLROOM (SALÃO DE BAILE)
Filmforum Ludwig Ticketshop
This lively documentary by Juru and Vitã takes us through the vibrant ballroom culture of Rio de Janeiro. Through the influence of the Afro and Latin American LGBTQAI+ subculture of the USA, where Ballroom originated, and Brazilian elements from various regions, a cultural cuvée has developed that continues to mature like a fine wine. There, dance, music, fashion and performance intertwine and lead to a kind of catharsis for marginalized queer and racialized communities. "We portray our community as a place of gathering and celebration, but also as a space where conflict can be resolved."
THIS IS BALLROOM celebrates its German premiere in Cologne.
German premiere
Presented by: Black & Queer NRW
Cooperation: Stadt Köln – Europa und Internationales
THIS IS BALLROOM (SALÃO DE BAILE) Direction: Vitã, Juru, DCP, OmeU, 92 min
Guests
Vitã is a Brazilian filmmaker focused on LGBT+ narratives and documentaries and is working in the film and TV industry for over 15 years. Vitã isScreenwriter of the series "Enredos da Liberdade'' (2024), about samba schools struggling for democracy in the 80's; Producer of the feature documentary "It's Not the First Time We Fight For Our Love" (2022), on the emergence of the LGBT movements in Brazil, Argentina and USA; Director of the short film "The day I remembered the trip to Bicuda" (2015). Vitã coordinates Ritornelo creative center (ritornelo.art) and Moventes film critic magazine and holds a Master's degree in Communication, Cinema and Audiovisual at Universidade Federal Fluminense (Brazil). In the ballroom scene, Vitã is the Empress of Legendary House of Lauren Brazil.
Suelen Menezes has a BA in Cinema. Since 2011, she works as camera assistant in films and series in the Brazilian film industry. For two years she has been experimenting with the authorship of photographing on short-films and video music clips and recently she is trying an adventure to direction and script. Suelen is a passionate photographer willingly and with joy when she picks up a camera in her hands. Filming, recording and telling a story is part of her daily imperative – whether the image is recorded at 1 solo frame or at 24 frames for a second. She worked as the DOP at the documentary THIS IS BALLROOM.