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FGV CPDOC Documentary on the Apinajé People Competes in Cine Kurumin's Competitive Showcase

In addition to the Indigenous film festival, the documentary was also selected for the 48th Annual Meeting of ANPOCS, the National Association of Graduate Studies in Social Sciences.

After winning first place in the Pierre Verger Award in the Photographic Essay category, the outputs developed from the project Indigenous Documentary Heritage: Collaborative Work between FGV CPDOC and the Apinajé People continue to gain recognition in national and international exhibitions and competitions. Now, the documentary (Re)Encounters – Akupӯnh awjanã has been selected for the National Competitive Showcase of Cine Kurumin, an Indigenous film festival supported by the Ministry of Culture.

The film, competing in the feature-length category, premiered on July 30 in a special screening held at FGV headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Directed by Andressa Iremex Apinajé, Celso Castro, Gabriel Cardoso, Laura Guimarães, and Odair Giraldin, the documentary portrays the return of anthropologist Roberto DaMatta to the Apinajé Territory after more than 40 years.

In the 1960s, DaMatta conducted fieldwork in the Apinajé Territory and compiled a collection of photographs, audio recordings, and a Super 8 film about Apinajé culture. In 2022, he donated this personal archive to FGV CPDOC, which led to the creation of the project in collaboration with the Apinajé People. The goal is to establish a cultural and historical heritage that reinforces the historical, cultural, and personal significance of the Apinajé.

During the anthropologist’s reunion with the Apinajé People, the documentary highlights key aspects of Apinajé customs and culture, featuring interviews and accounts from both DaMatta and Indigenous individuals who either met him in the 1960s or heard stories about him passed down through generations.

Celso Castro, Director of the School of Social Sciences at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV CPDOC) and co-director of the documentary, emphasized that the footage captured not only historical moments but also deeply emotional ones:

"This is a project filled with emotion from all sides since its inception, as well as many (re)encounters. We are very pleased with the collaboration with the Apinajé People and with the spectacular results this project has already achieved. It is a milestone not only for CPDOC but for FGV as a whole."

Learn more about the Cine Kurumin festival.

48th Annual Meeting of ANPOCS

In addition to the Cine Kurumin showcase, the documentary (Re)Encounters – Akupӯnh awjanã, along with the photographic essay “Mirrors of Memory: Archival Images and the Recovery of the Past”, were selected for the 48th Annual Meeting of ANPOCS, the National Association of Graduate Studies in Social Sciences. The event will take place virtually from October 16 to 18 and in person from October 23 to 25 at the UNICAMP campus in Campinas, São Paulo.

Sponsored by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel), CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), the Federal Government, and the José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation, the event’s program includes keynote panels, roundtables, academic paper presentations, book launches, as well as a photography showcase and video exhibition. For more information, visit the official website.

To learn more about the Pierre Verger Award and view the full photographic essay, click [this link].