Past screening

Waiting for the Carnival

Directed by: Marcelo Gomes
Runtime: 1hr 26min Year: 2019

Details

Directed by: Marcelo Gomes
Runtime: 1hr 26min Year: 2019
Country: Brazil

The small village of Toritama has transformed into the ‘Capital of Jeans’. Residents work day and night, dreaming of their futures, and sell everything to attend the carnival.

The small village of Toritama in Brazil is a microcosm of relentless capitalism. Each year, more than 20-million pairs of jeans are produced in make-shift factories.

Director Marcelo Gomes speaks from behind the camera to the locals about their lives and dreams, and remembers Toritama as it was when he was a child. His father used to call it ‘The Land of Happiness.’ Now the town sign reads ‘Capital of Jeans’.

The locals work non-stop hours, proud to be the masters of their own time. During Carnival – the only leisure moment of the year -, they transgress the logic of accumulation of goods, sell their belongings without regret and flee to the beaches in search of ephemeral happiness. When Ash Wednesday arrives, a new work cycle begins.