Muanza is a woman born in the Kingdom of Kongo and trafficked to Brazil in the early 19th century. When she wakes up from a profound sleep in 2023, she finds herself in a time-twisting Rio de Janeiro, wherein figures from the past and from the present are part of her search for her roots through the city’s territories. Praia Formosa mixes fictional stories and documented characters, historical facts and speculative fabulation. Through the intertwining of time and aesthetics, the film addresses the life that emerges within the city, the struggle against forced deterritorialization and the affects that sustain sisterhood bonds.
Featuring: Lucília Raimundo, Samira Carvalho, Maria D'Aires, Mãe Celina de Xangô
Director: Julia De Simone
Script: Aline Portugal, Julia De Simone, Mariana Luiza
Cinematography: Flávio Rebouças
Set: Ana Paula Cardoso
Costume designer: Diana Moreira
Sound: Marina D’Ávila
AD: Débora de Oliveira, Marianne Macedo Martins
Editing: Ricardo Pretti
Music: Marco Scarassati
Production Manager: Sabrina Bitencourt
Producer: Luana Melgaço, Julia De Simone, Filipa Reis
Executive Producer: Fernanda Vidigal, Joana Vaz da Silva, Luana Melgaço, Vanessa Santos
Produced by: Luana Melgaço (Anavilhana), Julia De Simone (Mirada Filmes), Filipa Reis (Uma Pedra no Sapato)
Funded by: FSA, ICA – Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, Hubert Bals Fund, World Cinema Fund, RTP - Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Original Language: Portuguese, Kikongo, Kimbundo
Festivals and Awards
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Tiger Competition (NL 01.2024)
Festival International de Films de Femme de Créteil
Fiction Competition (FR 03.2024)
Olhar de Cinema - Curitiba International Film Festival
Competitiva Brasileira (BR 06.2024)
Prêmio de Melhor Direção de Fotografia
Prêmio de Melhor Direção de Arte
CineBh International Film Festival
Mostra Continente (BR 09.2024)
BFI London Film Festival
Dare Competition (UK 10.2024)
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
Compétition Internacional (CA 10.2024)
Mostra Internacional de Cinema em São Paulo
Mostra Brasil (BR 10.2024)
Transcultural Arts Production Series
(NO 10.2024)
International Film Festival of Kerala
World Cinema (IN 12.2024)
FEMINA 2025
Competição Nacional (BR 03.2025)
Melhor Filme
