In 1963, Paulo Freire led a small group of educators across Northeastern Brazil in experimental “Culture Circles,” teaching 300 rural people to read and write in forty hours. Their innovative method used critical and creative thinking instead of memorization and repetition. By contextualizing and personalizing the lessons, educators used their surroundings to teach vocabulary and construct meaning – and to vote. Freire’s project opened the door for them to get ID cards for the first time and participate in the fervor of the blossoming democracy taking place in Brazil at that time. A coup d’etat in 1964 overthrew the president, shut down the program and set fire to the farmers’ notebooks. Freire was forced into exile for 16 years, spreading this pedagogy around the globe and impacting education until today.
Our next documentary, aimed for completion in late 2024, will explore these questions and more!
Stay tuned!
Crew
Directed by Catherine Murphy
Edited by Iris de Oliveira, Renato Maia, and Mara Wollong
Produced by Micaela Ovelar, Carina Aparecida, Kit Miller and Miranda Montenegro
Cinematography by Carina Aparecida, Ulisses Brandão, Cristiano Burlan, Oto Cartaxo, Caio Castor, Renato Maia, Passos Jr.
Direct sound by Felipe Mago
Consulting producers Gary Wright Jr., Rachel Dickson and Maria Luisa Mendonça
Archival producers Stephanie Temoteo and Micaela Ovelar
Communications team Lucia Amieva-Wang, Lauren Pardo, Gabriela Sierra, and Stephanie Temoteo
Music by Bia Ferreira, Chico Cesar and Claudio Rabeca
Produced by Maestra Productions in collaboration with SESC, Bela Films, and the Paulo Freire Institute.
Made possible by Buenas Obras Fund, Orchard House Foundation, Rosa Parks Fund, Quitiplás Foundation – and many generous individual donors.Educator Resources and Study Guide
Paulo Freire Bibliography
English | By Micaela Ovelar Márquez
Bibliografia de Paulo Freire
Português | Por Micaela Ovelar Márquez
Español | Por Micaela Ovelar Márquez
Revista Estudos Universitarios, 1963
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