Activation – Sertão Negro – Maria Grampinho Film Club and roundtable discussion with Ceiça Ferreira, Edileuza Penha Souza, Renata Martins and Joyce Prado

On September 27, the Cineclube Maria Grampinho [Maria Grampinho Film Club] will be will take place, followed by a roundtable discussion with Ceiça Ferreira, Edileuza Penha Souza, Renata Martins and Joyce Prado. The first of four sessions of Cineclube Maria Grampinho, which are part of the work Sertão Negro at the 36th Bienal de São Paulo, takes place in celebration of the day of São Cosme and São Damião; and in reverence to the Ibejis, twin orishas/child deities of African-based religions. The event will take place from 3 pm to 5 pm at Sertão Negro’s work, on the first floor.

Highlighting Black Brazilian childhoods, the activation features the screening of the short films Sem Asas [Withou Wings] (’20, Renata Martins, 2019), Ewé de Òsányìn: o segredo das folhas [Ewé of Òsányìn: the secret of the leaves](’23, Pâmela Pelegrino, 2021), A Piscina de Caíque [Caíque’s swimming pool] (’15, Raphael Gustavo da Silva, 2017), Òrun Àiyé: A criação do mundo [Òrun Àiyé: The creation of the world] (’12, Jamile Coelho e Cintia Maria, 2015) and Fábula de Vó Ita [Grandma Ita’s Fable] (‘5, Joyce Prado e Thallita Oshiro, 2016), followed by a roundtable discussion with Ceiça Ferreira, Edileuza Penha Souza and Renata Martins.

Renata Martins is the author, director, and creator of the Empoderadas project. She also wrote the series “Pedro e Bianca” and the soap opera “Malhação: Viva a Diferença.” In 2023, she created and wrote the anthology series “Histórias (Im)possíveis” for Rede Globo, where she is currently developing new projects. Her career includes directing and writing the short films “Aquém das Nuvens” and “Sem Asas,” the latter of which was voted best fiction short film by the Academia de Cinema Brasileiro [Brazilian Film Academy].

Ceiça Ferreira is a professor and researcher in the Film and Audiovisual Course at the State University of Goiás (UEG). She holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Brasília (UnB). She is co-founder of Sertão Negro Ateliê e Escola de Artes. She is the creator and director of Cineclube Maria Grampinho, whose curatorial proposal highlights black cinema.

Edileuza Penha de Souza is a professor, filmmaker, and researcher. She holds a postdoctorate in Communication and a PhD in Education from the University of Brasília (UnB). Among the films she has directed are the short films Vão das Almas (2023); Filhas de Lavadeiras (2019), voted best film at the 2021 Brazilian Film Grand Prix; and the feature film Vozes e Vãos (2025). She is the creator and organizer of the Adelia Sampaio Black Film Competition.

Joyce Prado is the director, screenwriter, and founder of Oxalá Produções, a company focused on content about Afro-Brazilian and diasporic culture and community. She is an award-winning director at the 44th São Paulo Film Festival, the Music Video Festival Awards (M-V-F, 2020), and the Women’s Music Event (WME, 2018, 2021, 2024). She wrote and directed the series The Beat Diaspora – YouTube Originals – and the series Ancestralidades, Arte 1 channel and Tide Setubal Foundation. Founding member of the Association of Black Audiovisual Professionals (APAN).

The Cineclube Maria Grampinho [Maria Grampinho Film Club] aims to be a space for screening and discussing films directed by or starring black people. Inspired by Maria da Purificação, known as Maria Grampinho, a historical figure from the city of Goiás who, despite her invisibility, carried stories and dreams with her, the Maria Grampinho Film Club was founded and is directed by Ceiça Ferreira, at the Sertão Negro Atelier and School of Arts, in Goiânia. It is in the hut in the backyard of this studio-school that monthly sessions are held and the notion of “backyard cinema” is explored, reflecting on the importance of this space so central to popular, traditional, and black cultures as a territory of affection, encounters, and learning. Dedicated to the screening and discussion of films directed by or starring black people, Cineclube Maria Grampinho is a non-profit educational space that aims to educate audiences, democratize culture, and create new narratives in Brazilian audiovisual media.

Activation – Sertão Negro – Maria Grampinho Film Club and roundtable discussion with Ceiça Ferreira, Edileuza Penha Souza, Renata Martins and Joyce Prado
36th Bienal de São Paulo – Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice
September 27, 2025
Saturday, 3 pm
Sertão Negro’s work, 1st floor
Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion
Ibirapuera Park, gate 3
Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral, s/n
São Paulo, SP
free admission