Homens de Rua

Homens de Rua

1991 · 32 min · Documentary

The film is close to the experiences of men and women forced to survive on the streets of São Paulo in the early 1990s, a time of deteriorating living conditions for workers, high unemployment and increasing urban poverty. Between approaching the problem as something structural and a sensitive look at the characters, the documentary portrays the lives of people who lost their work, distanced themselves from their affections and saw their identity disintegrate.

Directed by Joel Zito Araújo · Written by Joel Zito Araújo

Your Rating

Make it a double feature

2h 3m together

Homens de Rua

Denying Brazil

Both from Joel Zito Araújo.

More from Joel Zito AraújoSee all →

Raça

Documentary on ethnic relations in Brazil.

Denying Brazil

Denying Brazil · 2000

MovieDocumentary

A documentary film about the taboos, stereotypes, and struggles of black actors in Brazilian television "soaps". Based on his own memories and on a sturdy body of research evidence, the director analyses race relations in Brazilian soap operas, calling attention to their likely influence on Brazilian African-Americans' identity-forming processes.

Retrato em Preto e Branco

Retrato em Preto e Branco · 1992

Retrato em Preto e Branco

MovieDocumentary

The documentary is structured as a video letter from a black man denouncing the persistence of racism in Brazilian society and media, a century after the official end of slavery. Thus, it presents the contradictions between two images of racial relations in Brazil: the image disseminated abroad, which spreads the myth of racial democracy, and the internal image, presented in textbooks and on television, in which negative stereotypes are perpetuated against the black population.

PCC, Secret Power

PCC, Secret Power · 2022

PCC, Secret Power

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

A piercing four-part docuseries exploring the rise of Brazil’s largest crime organization, Primeiro Comando da Capital – better known as the PCC. The First Command of the Capital (PCC) holds the hegemony of crime in São Paulo, but also an international presence. Narrated by the "brothers", the secret of the PCC's power is revealed in its structure: a masonry of crime, implacable in your ideals.

Daughters of the Wind

Daughters of the Wind · 2005

Daughters of the Wind

In a small town in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, two sisters meet again after years apart.

O Pai da Rita

O Pai da Rita · 2022

Roque and Pudim, composers from the old school of Vai-Vai, share a kitchnete, decades of friendship, love for their samba school and a doubt about the past: what happened to dancer Rita, their passion. The emergence of Ritinha, the dancer's daughter, threatens to collapse this great friendship.

My Friend Fela

My Friend Fela · 2019

MovieDocumentary

Most often portrayed as an eccentric African pop idol of the ghetto, Fela is rarely presented as the strong political leader he was. Through the eyes his close friend and official biographer, the African-Cuban intellectual Carlos Moore, this documentary is devoted to unravel the complexity of Fela’s life. As the story unfolds, it reveals the glories and tragedies that shaped the lives of the pan-African generation as well as Fela's.

Cinderellas, Wolves and a Prince Charming

Cinderellas, Wolves and a Prince Charming · 2009

Cinderellas, Wolves and a Prince Charming

MovieDocumentary

Around 900 thousand people are trafficked a year for international borders only for sexual exploitation. However, despite all the dangers, young Brazilian women to enter the world of sex tourism, believe that they will change their lives and their dream of finding a Charming Prince. A minority find a great love and get married. The film goes from the Brazilian Northeast to Berlin seeking to understand the sexual as well racial imaginary and power of young southern Cinderellas and northern wolves.

Cadernos Negros

Cadernos Negros · 2025

Cadernos Negros

MovieDocumentary

In 1978, young Black people gathered at CECAN in São Paulo and created Cadernos Negros. The publication has featured over 300 authors. In 1980, the group formed the Quilombhoje collective. Since then, the series has alternated between poetry and short stories, expanding the visibility of Black Brazilian literature.

Nossos Bravos

Nossos Bravos · 1987

MovieDocumentaryDrama

Docudrama on labor mobilizations in the beginning of the 20th century in Brazil, led by union organizations with anarcho-socialist influence. Using fictional resources and historical archives, the film reconstructs an important part of the memory of Brazilian unionism and its biggest strikes, establishing a dialogue between different working generations.

Ecos do Teatro Experimental do Negro

Ecos do Teatro Experimental do Negro · 2026

Ecos do Teatro Experimental do Negro

MovieDocumentary

Almerinda, Uma Mulher de Trinta

Almerinda, Uma Mulher de Trinta · 1991

Almerinda, Uma Mulher de Trinta

MovieDocumentary

Rescue of the life story of feminist activist from the 1930s, Almerinda Farias Gama, participant in the struggle for the right to vote for women in the 1934 Constitution, and activist of the Brazilian Federation for Female Progress, together with Bertha Lutz.

The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End · 2020

The Beginning of the End

MovieDocumentary

The combination of COVID-19 and the far right in power could spell the end of human life on Earth. Short film made for the IMS Convida program.

A Exceção e a Regra

A Exceção e a Regra · 1997

A Exceção e a Regra

MovieDocumentary

The film investigates how allegations of racism are handled by the Brazilian justice, reporting the unprecedented story of persistence and dignity of a black man: Vicente do Espírito Santo became an exceptional case for being the first victim of racism to break the siege and arriving victoriously at the Superior Labor Court and at Rede Globo's prime time.

Alma Negra da Cidade

Alma Negra da Cidade · 1991

Alma Negra da Cidade

MovieDocumentary

The existence of racial discrimination did not prevent the affirmation of the black community in the urban space of São Paulo. Members of the black community, in intimate accounts, tell their origins, life trajectory, dreams, anxieties and how they see the situation of blacks, 102 years after the supposed abolition of slavery. Black women and men continue to have to fight for minimum rights and recognition of existence. Black resistance is an example of the struggle of oppressed peoples.

Eu, Mulher Negra

Eu, Mulher Negra · 1994

Eu, Mulher Negra

MovieDocumentary

Prepared by the team of the Program for Training Black Researchers, The video brings together images and voices that talk about the reproductive health of black women, diseases taking into account the racial/ethnic background, habits, customs, the physical and social environment and the inhuman conditions imposed by racism.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter