Documentary Feature | Director | 1997

Video 58 mins, Brazil/USA 1997. 

Available in English, Portuguese and French

This is the affirming story of how Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion, has become a source of strength and power for a group of AIDS sufferers. Shot in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Bahia, it shows the rituals of Candomblé and the celebration of Carnival. It features the personal struggles and words of wisdom from those whose faith have brought endurance and pride. Rather than denying the sexuality of the population, Odô-Yá!, an innovative education program, advocates the use of condoms so that sexuality need not be repressed.

This lyrical documentary puts the epidemic in a cultural context, showing how a religion helps its followers cope with the illness, contrasting it with myopic government campaigns.

WINNER Best Documentary, New York AIDS Film Festival

WINNER Public Award for Best Film Made by a Woman of Color, New York African Diaspora Film Festival

WINNER Orilaxé Prize for Social Change : Best Documentary, Grupo Cultural Afro Reagge- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

WINNER Best Documentary, Pan-African Film  Festival, California

WINNER Best Documentary, South Bronx Film  Festival, New York

WINNER Bronze Apple Award, National Educational Media Network, California

WINNER Special Jury Prize, Festival Panafricain Du Cinema de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso