Master Sirso is a deaf, Black man who reveals a story of resilience in the fight for rights. A resident of the outskirts of Cascavel, Paraná, Sirso loses his hearing at the age of four in 1974. He is one of the victims of the meningitis epidemic, denied by the government of the military dictatorship. Life takes on new meaning when he meets Mestrinho, joins the Capoeira circle, feels the vibration of the berimbau's sound, breaks the silence, and becomes a Master. In the circle of life, the fight for inclusion continues.

The film offers the viewer an immersion into the world of a person with hearing impairment through a narrative that highlights Sirso's sensory experience, particularly the vibration of sound in his relationship with Capoeira. Sirso's story takes a deep dive into the heart of Brazil. It sheds light on the challenges of the inclusion process in Brazil and showcases the potency of Capoeira as art, education, a therapeutic process, and a form of resistance. This goes beyond the circle (Roda) and extends to the broader struggle against various forms of prejudice faced by Black individuals.

Completed in 2021, the film premiered at the International Pan-African Film Festival in Luanda in 2022. In the same year, it was selected for the Ethnographic Film Showcase of the Pierre Verger Award.

The documentary is directed by Emanuela Palma, with a screenplay by anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Geslline Giovana Braga.

Direction: EMANUELA PALMA Executive Production: EMANUELA PALMA AND LEO CARNEVALE Screenplay: GESLLINE BRAGA Director of Photography: BIA HERBSTRITH Editing: THAIS INÁCIO AND CRISTIANO REQUIÃO Editing Consultancy: GIOVANNA GIOVANINI Sound Editing and Mixing: RODRIGO BOECKER Soundtrack: FÁBIO BARBOSA AND ALISSON SANTOS Color Correction: CRISTIANO REQUIÃO Research: EMANUELA PALMA AND GESLLINE BRAGA Design: ALÉ KARMIRIAN AND BIA HERBSTRITH Production Assistance: MARCELLA LUCAS, ANDRESSA SCARDUA, AND VAGNER RODRIGUES Camera Assistance: MARYAH PASQUINI, EDERSON BASTIANI, AND JOSÉ CARLOS SANTANA Accessibility Resources: RAÇA LIVRE PRODUÇÕES Script and Audio Description Narration: SERGINHO MELO Audio Description Consultancy: FELIPE MIANES Sign Language Interpreter: MIKE DIANO Descriptive Subtitling: ALESSANDRA DA ROSA PINHO English Translation: LARISSA GUIMARÃES Spanish Translation: NYLCÉA THEREZA DE SIQUEIRA PEDRA, BRUNO BEZERRA, AND CAMILA QUINTERO OSES

The transformation of a reality is a long-term project that requires the support of various social actors. In Capoeira, Master Sirso found an inclusion tool through Master Mestrinho. In this documentary, we give visibility to the protagonism of a black and deaf man and shed light on the social responsibility of each one of us in this network that can contribute to people with disabilities gaining the space that belongs to them.

To depict this story, PALMA began production independently in 2016. Awarded the BNDES + Cultural Heritage Machfunding Program to conduct crowdfunding in 2021, the project was completed with the support of more than 500 benefactors, who, even in the midst of the pandemic, saw the need to support this production addressing such a relevant topic to society.

The film was produced with all accessibility features, and the official version is displayed with the sign language window, in addition to having English and Spanish subtitles versions.

02/12/2022 Museu da Memória Rondoniense | Porto Velho/RO | 19h

29/11/2022 Auditório do IFRO | Porto Velho/RO | 15h

30/11/2022 Anfiteatro da Reitoria UFPR | Curitiba/PR | 19h

23 a 27/11/2022 Festival Internacional de Cinema Pan-Africano de Luanda |Angola

23/11/2022 Instituto Nacional de Educação de Surdos - INES | RJ | 19h

More

• Festival de Luanda

  • Luanda International Pan-African Film Festival (LUANDA PAFF) 2022

• Gente de Opinião: Documentário que retrata desafios da vida de capoeirista surdo e negro estreia em Porto Velho

  • Premiere of the film in Porto Velho

• Pratas da Casa: #73 EMANUELA PALMA - PRODUTORA FILME MESTRE SIRSO - PRATAS DA CASA 30/11/2022

  • Interview about the film premiere in Porto Velho

• Exibição do filme em PVH em parceria com a UNIR

  • Press release posted on the official website of the Federal University of Rondônia

• Site oficial do Prêmio Pierre Verger

  • Presentation of the film, screenwriter, and director

• Artigo publicado no acervo do Arquivo Nacional

  • The article is between pages 150 and 159, authored by the film's screenwriter, anthropologist Geslline Braga.

• G1 RPC Paraná: Documentário que retrata desafios da vida de capoeirista negro e surdo de Cascavel é destaque em premiação nacional

  • Article about the film's selection for the Pierre Verger Award.

• Revista Aldeia: “Mestre Sirso” concorre ao Prêmio Pierre Verger 2022

  • Article about the film's selection for the Pierre Verger Award.

• Revista Aldeia: Mestre Sirso leva Cascavel para o mundo

  • Article about the film's pre-release and completion.

• Matchfunding BNDES+ Patrimônio Cultural

  • Announcement of the projects selected for Matchfunding BNDES.

• Revista Museu: 02/10/2020 - Programa de matchfunding do BNDES define 24 projetos para campanha de financiamento coletivo

  • Announcement of the selected projects in the BNDES Matchfunding program

• Campanha no site Benfeitoria

  • Access to the Crowdfunding Campaign Page.

• Revista Reação: Mestre Sirso: documentário sobre um homem negro, surdo, que encontra na Roda de Capoeira a vibração para romper seu silêncio e ressignificar a vida

  • News Article About the Crowdfunding Campaign

• Jornal Rondônia: Mestre Sirso: Quando O Mundo É Silêncio A Vibração É Mestre, De Emanuela Palma

  • News Article About the Crowdfunding Campaign

• Embauba Play - Director's Bio

• Agenda do MAM RJ

• FIMCINE - Selection for Mentoring at the International Women in Film Festival