The Enchanted Day of the Erês

11 min

Come to a unique party in Brazil with trans woman Suzy Santos, where for one enchanted day she invites child-spirits called Erês to join her in a sacred ritual of music and dance. Suzy is a priestess of Candomblé - an Afro-Brazilian religion which is one of the few to welcome the vulnerable "travesti" and LGBTQI+ community. It’s not easy to be black and queer in Brazil; a country with deep structural racism where more trans people are murdered than anywhere else in the world. Shunned and cast out from their homes and religious communities, many trans women end up living as street prostitutes to survive. Suzy has created her Candomblé temple as a place of refuge and acceptance for all gender identities, where she guides her community in a religious ceremony to celebrate and incorporate the Erês.

Directed by Julio Matos