Apocalypse in the Tropics by Petra Costa
Two Latin American films were awarded at the 41st annual IDA Documentary Awards: the Brazilian documentary feature Apocalypse in the Tropics / Apocalipse nos Trópicos by Petra Costa Petra Costa received two prizes, for Best Production and Best Writing; and the Venezuelan-Mexican co-production Looking for a Donkey / Buscando un burro by Juan Vicente Manrique was the winner of the Best Documentary Short.
Costa’s latest documentary is a probing exploration of the blurred line between democracy and theocratic influence in Brazil, focusing on the rising political force of evangelical powerbrokers. With unprecedented access to key figures—including President Lula, former president Jair Bolsonaro, and the nation’s most prominent televangelist—Costa follows a charismatic pastor whose ambitions stretch toward shaping the country’s far-right leadership from behind the scenes.
Apocalypse in the Tropics had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Venice Film Festival and has screened at numerous festivals, including Telluride Telluride Film Festival, New York New York Film Festival, IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Camden Camden International Film Festival, and San Sebastian San Sebastián International Film Festival.
In Looking for a Donkey, after uploading a satirical video that cast a donkey as Venezuela’s president in 2018, two firefighters from the Andes were jailed. In their quiet mountain town, no one dares speak openly about what happened, yet whispers persist about the creature’s enigmatic disappearance.
The short film won the award for Best Mexican Documentary Short Film at the Morelia Film Festival Morelia International Film Festival and the Jury Award at SXSW South by Southwest.
