Brazilian filmmaker to explore prejudice, taboos in lecture

Renowned Afro-Brazilian filmmaker and writer Joel Zito Araújo will present a screening of his award-winning film "Denying Brazil" at ASU's School of International Letters and Cultures' International Artists Lecture Series from 2 to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 28, at the Homer G. Durham Languages and Literature building, room 60, on the Tempe campus.

The screening will be followed by a talk by Araújo about the film's topic, and a talk by Sumaya Machado Lima, professor at Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros in Brazil, titled "Daughters of the Wind: African Diasporic Cartographies Beyond the Screen."

"Denying Brazil" is a full-length documentary film about prejudices, taboos and the evolution of black characters in Brazilian soap operas. The film received numerous awards, including a Best Brazilian Film Award at the sixth International Documentary Festival “É Tudo Verdade” in São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro, 2001.

Araújo is an award-winning Afro-Brazilian filmmaker, director, writer and executive producer of feature films, documentaries, television shows and educational videos. His films include “Raça;” “Denying Brazil;” “Daughters of the Wind;” and “Cinderellas, Wolves, and One Prince Charming." Born in Nanuque, Minas Gerais, in 1954, Araújo holds a doctorate in communication science from the School of Communication and Arts of São Paulo University in Brazil. He is currently artist-in-residence at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sumaya Machado Lima was born in Rio de Janeiro. She holds a master’s degree in literary studies from Pontifícia da Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro and a doctorate in literary theory from Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianópolis, Brazil. Lima’s research focuses on gender, Brazilian culture and cinema.