“A politically incendiary ethnographic sci-fi…
In DRY GROUND BURNING, the future isn’t just female:
it is Black, lesbian, profoundly matriarchal.””
DRY GROUND BURNING / MATO SECO EM CHAMAS
A film by Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós
(Brazil, 2022, 153 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles)
Just released from prison, Léa (Léa Alves Silva) returns home to the Brasilia favela of Sol Nascente and joins up with her half-sister Chitara (Joana Darc Furtado), the fearless leader of an all-female gang that steals and refines oil from underground pipes and sells gasoline to a clandestine network of motorcyclists. Living in constant opposition to Jair Bolsonaro’s fiercely authoritarian and militarized government, Chitara’s women claim the streets for themselves as a declaration of radical political resistance on behalf of ex-cons and the oppressed.
An electrifying portrait of Brazil’s dystopian contemporary moment that blends documentary with narrative fiction and genre elements, Dry Ground Burning reunites filmmakers Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós (Once There Was Brasilia) to offer a unique vision of the country’s possible future.
Chicago, IL: Gene Siskel Film Center, opens Friday, April 14
Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), opens Friday, April 21
Los Angeles, CA: American Cinematheque, Los Feliz, Saturday, April 22
Seattle, WA: Northwest Film Forum, screens Sunday, May 7; Wednesday, May 10; Friday, May 12: 7.30pm, Saturday, May 13; and Sunday, May 14
Nashville, TN: Belcourt Theatre, screens Wednesday, May 17 - Sunday, May 21
Iowa City, IA: FilmScene, opens Friday, May 19
Columbus, OH: Wexner Center for the Arts, screens Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17
Montclair, NJ: Montclair Film, screens June 30-July 13
Washington, DC: Suns Cinema, screens Sunday, July 16
Watch the trailer:
