35 Favorite Brazilian Docs
by richardandeol | created - 06 Dec 2021 | updated - 2 weeks ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Isle of Flowers (1989)
13 min | Documentary, Short
The ironic, heartbreaking and acid "saga" of a spoiled tomato: from the plantation of a "Nisei" (Brazilian with Japanese origins); to a supermarket; to a consumer's kitchen to become sauce ... See full summary »
Director: Jorge Furtado | Stars: Paulo José, Ciça Reckziegel, Douglas Trainini, Júlia Barth
Votes: 6,527
2. Dzi Croquettes (2009)
110 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
A Brazilian Theater group that through talent, irony and humor confronted the Brazilian violent dictatorship in the 1970's revolutionizing the gay movement worldwide and changing theater and dance language to an entire generation.
Directors: Raphael Alvarez, Tatiana Issa | Stars: Josephine Baker, Ciro Barcelos, Norma Bengell, Maria Zilda Bethlem
Votes: 384
3. Jango (1984)
115 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of João "Jango" Goulart, the Brazilian left-wing president deposed by the military.
Director: Silvio Tendler | Stars: Leonel Brizola, João Goulart, Juscelino Kubitschek, Carlos Lacerda
Votes: 188
4. The Day That Lasted 21 Years (2012)
77 min | Documentary, History, Thriller
Provides evidence of manipulation and investment funding from the U.S. government to carry out the Brazilian military coup that occurred in 1964.
Director: Camilo Tavares | Stars: Auro de Moura Andrade, Robert Bentley, Júlio de Sá Bierrenbach, Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco
Votes: 468
5. The Edge of Democracy (2019)
TV-14 | 121 min | Documentary, History
Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
Director: Petra Costa | Stars: Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, Sergio Moro
Votes: 15,734
6. Bus 174 (2002)
R | 122 min | Documentary, Crime
On June 12, 2000, a young man with a gun took the passengers aboard Bus 174 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hostage. This documentary examines the event itself, the resulting media frenzy, the police response, and the perpetrator's background.
Directors: José Padilha, Felipe Lacerda | Stars: Sandro do Nascimento, Rodrigo Pimentel, Luiz Eduardo Soares, Anonymous
Votes: 8,624 | Gross: $0.22M
7. Jogo de Cena (2007)
100 min | Documentary, Drama
Following a newspaper ad, ordinary women tell part of their life stories to director Eduardo Coutinho, which are then re-enacted by actresses, blurring the barriers between truth, fiction and interpretation.
Director: Eduardo Coutinho | Stars: Marília Pêra, Andrea Beltrão, Fernanda Torres, Aleta Gomes Vieira
Votes: 1,313
8. Simonal: Ninguém Sabe o Duro que Dei (2009)
98 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary about the life, controversial career, and decline of one of the greatest Brazilian singers and showmen, Wilson Simonal.
Directors: Micael Langer, Calvito Leal, Cláudio Manoel | Stars: Ricardo Cravo Albin, Chico Anysio, Boninho, Sérgio Cabral
Votes: 416
9. Nós Que Aqui Estamos por Vós Esperamos (1999)
73 min | Documentary
A fascinating and poetical collage of countless images from the 20th century with the purpose of revealing matters of life and death during the era and its many social, cultural and ... See full summary »
Director: Marcelo Masagão | Star: Franz Reichelt
Votes: 767
10. Edifício Master (2002)
110 min | Documentary
The daily lives and routine of 37 families living in a huge 12-story building in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: their drama, aspirations, intimate revelations, loneliness, dreams...
Director: Eduardo Coutinho | Star: Fernando José
Votes: 1,685
11. Elis and Tom (2022)
100 min | Documentary, Music
Los Angeles, February 1974. Tom Jobim, the incarnation of Bossa Nova, and Elis Regina, then Brazil's most popular singer, met to record what would become one of the most iconic albums in the history of Brazilian music.
Directors: Roberto de Oliveira, Jom Tob Azulay | Stars: Elis Regina, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Paulo Braga, João Marcello Bôscoli
Votes: 343
12. Chão de Fábrica (2018)
90 min | Documentary
Chão de Fábrica it's a movie made from a TV series, about the history of the new Brazilian syndicalism. It begins in the big strikes of 1970/1980, occurred in the ABC region, in São Paulo. ... See full summary »
Directors: Hidalgo Romero, Renato Tapajós | Stars: José de Abreu, Ricardo Antunes, Fausto Augusto Jr., Armando Boito
13. Laerte-se (2017)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary
After living as a man for nearly 60 years, Laerte Coutinho, one of Brazil's most brilliant cartoonists, introduces herself to the world as a woman.
Directors: Lygia Barbosa, Eliane Brum | Stars: Laerte Coutinho, Eliane Brum, Rafael Coutinho, Rita Lee
Votes: 731
14. São Paulo in Hi-Fi (2013)
95 min | Documentary
An historical documentary about Sao Paulo's gay night life during the 60's, 70's and 80's.
Director: Lufe Steffen | Stars: Celso Curi, Darby Daniel, Kaká di Polly, Leão Lobo
Votes: 100
15. Uma Noite em 67 (2010)
85 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary which shows the greatness in the Festival de Música Popular Brasileira of 1967.
Directors: Ricardo Calil, Renato Terra | Stars: Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Edu Lobo
Votes: 403
16. Os Doces Bárbaros (1977)
100 min | Documentary, Musical
Documentary on Doces Bárbaros' 1976 tour,a group formed by some of the greatest stars of Brazilian music.
Director: Jom Tob Azulay | Stars: Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa, Baby do Brasil, Gilberto Gil
Votes: 110
17. The Music According to Antonio Carlos Jobim (2012)
84 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
In an original and linear way, it shows the life and work of the famous author, I share with Vinícius de Moraes, "Girl from Ipanema" one of the 5 most re-recorded and played songs in the world, worshiped by Sinatra and many others .
Directors: Dora Jobim, Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Stars: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Elis Regina, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald
Votes: 232
18. Miúcha, the Voice of Bossa Nova (2022)
98 min | Documentary, Musical
Despite her position at the epicentre of the Brazilian Bossa Nova scene, singer Heloísa Maria Buarque de Hollanda, known as Miúcha, has been largely underappreciated.
Directors: Liliane Mutti, Daniel Zarvos | Stars: Chico Buarque, Sílvia Buarque, Vinicius de Moraes, Stan Getz
Votes: 49
19. Yorimatã (2014)
G | 116 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
In the 1970s, two women in the hippie movement gather for their dream of freedom. Luhli and Lucina live in an alternative community and dedicate themselves to radical musical ... See full summary »
Director: Rafael Saar | Stars: Luhli, Lucina, Ney Matogrosso, Gilberto Gil
Votes: 26
20. Rainhas (2008)
71 min | Documentary
Fabio is a small town boy from the Amazon region. He departs to Rio de Janeiro hoping to become the next Miss Gay Brazil.
Directors: Ricardo Bruno, Fernanda Tornaghi | Stars: Michele Honda, Otacilio Junior, Orlando Almeida, Julia Sanches
Votes: 27
21. Hércules 56 (2006)
93 min | Documentary
Documentary featuring contemporary interviews with 5 of the revolutionary activists who kidnapped US ambassador Charles Embrick in August 1969 in Rio de Janeiro and some of the political ... See full summary »
Director: Silvio Da-Rin | Stars: Gregório Bezerra, José Dirceu de Oliveira, Jose Ibrahim, Ivens Marchetti
Votes: 93
22. Chico: Artista Brasileiro (2015)
70 min | Documentary
Director: Miguel Faria Jr. | Stars: Chico Buarque, Maria Bethânia, Lia Buarque, Adriana Calcanhotto
Votes: 429
23. Divine Divas (2016)
110 min | Documentary, Musical
The Divine Divas are the icons of the first generation of Brazilian transvestite artists in the 1960's. One of the first stages to host men dressed as women was the Rival Theatre, ran by ... See full summary »
Director: Leandra Leal | Stars: Rogéria, Jane di Castro, Divina Valéria, Camille K.
Votes: 395
24. Narcissus Off Duty (2020)
84 min | Documentary
Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso reflects on his imprisonment in 1968, during the military dictatorship.
Directors: Ricardo Calil, Renato Terra | Star: Caetano Veloso
Votes: 226
25. Excelentissimos (2018)
152 min | Documentary
During 2016, a film crew embeds inside the Brazilian Congress while lawmakers plot to overthrow the country's elected president, Dilma Rousseff.
Director: Douglas Duarte | Stars: Jair Bolsonaro, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, José Eduardo Cardozo, Eduardo Cunha
Votes: 189
26. Marighella (2012)
100 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary about the member of the brazilian Communist Party, Congressman elected by vote, and later on enemy number one of the brazilian dictatorship of 1964, Carlos Marighella.
Director: Isa Grinspum Ferraz | Stars: Carlos Augusto Marighella, Lázaro Ramos, Miguel Arraes, Hennig Boilesen Jr.
Votes: 3,483
27. O Barato de Iacanga (2019)
93 min | Documentary, Biography, History
"Taking Iacanga" reveals the story behind a legendary music festival held in Brazil in the 70's and 80's. Under military law, open-air events were prohibited. Overcoming politic ... See full summary »
Director: Thiago Mattar | Stars: Paulinho Boca de Cantor, Elici Bueno, Antonio Checchin, Giovanni Checchin
Votes: 463
28. Panair do Brasil (2007)
71 min | Documentary
Panair do Brasil revives the story of the most important commercial aviation company in Brazil, between 1930 and 1965, with its commercial daring in establishing routes to the four corners ... See full summary »
Director: Marco Altberg | Stars: Paulo Betti, Isabella
Votes: 53
29. Loki: Arnaldo Baptista (2008)
120 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
The biography of Arnaldo Baptista, founder of Mutantes, has his narrative sewn by emotional testimonies by the artist. Packed with songs that marked the epoch, the film reveals the trajectory of one of the biggest names in Brazilian rock.
Director: Paulo Henrique Fontenelle | Stars: Devendra Banhart, Arnaldo Baptista, Lucinha Barbosa, Bill Bartell
Votes: 274
30. Libelu: Abaixo a Ditadura (2021)
90 min | Documentary
The student trend Liberdade e Luta, Libelu, emerged in 1976 and gained fame for being the first group to resume the slogan "below the dictatorship" after the AI-5.
Director: Diógenes Muniz | Stars: Alex Antunes, Reinaldo Azevedo, Mino Carta II, Erasmo Dias
Votes: 30
31. Cacaso na Corda Bamba (2016)
88 min | Documentary
Cacaso, a Brazilian poet, lived in Rio de Janeiro. Born Antonio Carlos de Brito (1944-1987) he was one of the leaders of the marginal poetry movement. Cacaso filled notebooks not only with ... See full summary »
Directors: José Joaquim Salles, Ph Souza | Stars: Nelson Angelo, Cacaso, Zeca Camargo, Geraldo Carneiro
Votes: 7
32. O Prólogo (2013)
94 min | Documentary, Biography, News
The Prologue focuses on the use of political propaganda shown in the cinema and the television in the 1960's and throws light on the short films cult that were exhibited before the cinema sessions in Brazil.
Director: Gabriel F. Marinho | Star: Guilherme Preto
Votes: 11
33. Ibiuna - Primavera Brasileira (2019 TV Movie)
80 min | Documentary
Director: Silvio Tendler
Votes: 5
34. Cientistas Brasileiros (2023– )
262 min | Biography
Stars: Simone Iliescu, Arrigo Barnabé, Gustavo Bertin, Guilherme Kirchheim
35. Crônica da demolição (2015)
90 min | Documentary, History
At the heart of Rio de Janeiro's downtown, an empty square with a dry fountain and an underground parking. There was located the Monroe Palace, that once housed the Senate, and was ... See full summary »
Director: Eduardo Ades | Stars: Alex Nicolaeff, Alfredo Luiz Porto de Britto, Antônio Souza Aguiar, Augusto Ivan Pinheiro
Votes: 45
Tell Your Friends