Afro Brazilians have been waiting for over two years for the film, “Marighella,” to arrive in Brazilian theatres. The film focuses on the final years in the life of Afro Brazilian writer, politician, and guerrilla activist, Carlos Marighella.
Based on the biography written by Mário Magalhães and featuring popular actor and singer Seu Jorge as the titular protagonist, the film gives a gritty look into the infamous radical, violent armed struggle against the oppressive Brazilian military dictatorship.
Originally screening on the festival circuits in 2019, the film rapidly gained international acclaim from critics. But Wagner Moura, the director, would endure several obstacles before finally premiering the movie in Brazil on Nov. 4.
The main antagonist was Brazil’s federal film agency, Ancine- who withheld a premier license for technical reasons that were understood by most to be politically driven. The current right-wing government’s nostalgia for the good old days of the dictatorship was demonstrated through the constant prohibition of art and media portraying the dictatorship era in a negative light.
Carlos Marighella was a fierce defender of communism. He founded the National Liberation Action (ALN), a leftist militant organization that fought against the military dictatorship. Marighella was arrested and tortured by the government several times and became known as public enemy number one during the Vargas era. He was gunned down during an ambush in 1969.
Since 2019, the film has been screened at 30 different festivals in cities on five continents. Some of the major cities include Seattle, Hong Kong, Sydney, Santiago, Havana, Istanbul, Athens, Stockholm and Cairo. The general consensus was a positive opinion of the film including frequent standing ovations.
This made the subsequent online attacks even more scandalous. Before the film was even made public, its IMDB page received over 40,000 reviews and scores averaging a low score of 3.6 out of 10. This public political attack was designed to influence the total boycott of “Marighella. “
In spite of these efforts, the film finally premiered in Brazil on November 4th. Afro Brazilians packed theatres to be inspired by the true story of this Black hero.
