Cinema na Vila: Culture and community gathered in Vila Cachoeirinha
The event took place on March 16, at 3 pm, at the Vila Cachoeirinha football pitch, in the Vila Pedrini neighborhood of Joaçaba, with the participation of the community of the Vila and surroundings, totaling an audience of approximately 200 people.
The event was produced by Pupilo Tv and the NGO Creche Irmã Sheila. The project team includes: André Boareto França, Simone Azevedo, Gabrielle José da Silva, José Barancelli and Rudolfo Auffinger.
The program featured a stilt-walking intervention, a capoeira circle, a street dance class, short film screenings, graffiti and a rap show. The event was free and offered popcorn, soda and water to the audience.
Program
The event presented a diverse program with activities that explored different artistic and cultural expressions, creating an engaging and participatory environment for the audience. The afternoon began with an artistic intervention by Victor Falk, who, on his stilts, captivated the crowd with juggling and circus techniques, delighting everyone there. Next, Professor Negaça, from Grupo Capoeira Brasil, held a capoeira circle with his students and the Vila Cachoeirinha community, promoting a moment of integration and appreciation of Afro-Brazilian culture, with the active participation of residents. Right after, the dancer and dance teacher at Creche Irmã Sheila, Igor da Cruz, led the audience in a lively street dance class, encouraging everyone to dance and express themselves to the rhythm of the music. While all this was happening, the artist Risco was spraying graffiti on a community wall, creating a work that delighted adults and children, who not only watched but also interacted with him the whole time. Before the film screening, the group Sincronia Surreal took the stage with a powerful and engaging repertoire, raising the mood of the event. Gré, Fontoura Mc, Nomgy and DJ Kaslu not only performed a rap show, but also interacted directly with residents and children, creating a moment of community and cultural exchange.
The event closed with a film session that screened short films on social and identity themes. The program included works such as Palmilha (2018), Quem Vai Cuidar Desse Bebê? (2022) and Com-Sentimento (2021), all directed by Anderson Lima, as well as films from the O Minuto Lumière workshop (2023), made by students of Creche Irmã Sheila in a workshop mentored by Rudolfo Auffinger, exploring horror narratives. The short O Minuto Que Foi (2025), produced in a workshop mentored by Yasser Socarrás, was also screened. The session celebrated diversity and the power of cinema as a tool for expression and transformation.
An essential right.
The event was conceived with the goal of offering an afternoon of diverse cultural programming, creating a space for meeting and coexistence for the whole community. The residents of Vila Cachoeirinha face daily challenges, such as lack of access to treated water, difficulties related to decent housing and health, the shortage of quality public services and, above all, the prejudice that many people direct at those who live in the community. In addition, leisure activities brought to the vila and accessible to all residents are rare. Creche Irmã Sheila, for example, has for years been running after-school projects, with classes and cultural workshops for children, but this is still insufficient in the face of so many community needs. It is urgent that the city’s peripheries have access to more opportunities for leisure, entertainment and cultural expression, not only as a form of fun, but as an essential right for the social development and quality of life of these populations. Simone Azevedo, the event’s local producer, comments: “The event we did together is very important, so that the lives of the families in there can change at least a little, for the better, if more people get mobilized and want to help. So, for me this is very important, seeing the vila and the children with different eyes.”
A direct example of the event’s impact was the cleaning of the Vila’s football pitch, carried out by the city government through the Department of Infrastructure and Agriculture. The space, which is wide and heavily used by children and teenagers to play, is usually covered by tall weeds, which prevents full use of the site. Moreover, many people from outside the Vila tend to dump their garbage on the pitch, as if it were the place for that. According to residents, for the first time in many years, the pitch underwent a complete and efficient cleaning, leaving it not only beautiful but also functional for the community, since the children can now play freely. The cleaning, however, cannot be an isolated event. For the pitch to remain a functional environment, it is essential that actions like this be carried out regularly. Recurring maintenance of this space would not only guarantee the right to leisure and play, but would also demonstrate a real commitment to the well-being and dignity of residents.
Simone points out that the community as a whole approved of the event, and the children, in particular, talked a lot about the experience. “I felt very happy, very fulfilled to be able to be there, to do this event that the children loved, the whole community really liked it.” The happiness on everyone’s faces was clear, showing the importance of that moment for the Vila.
The event shows the importance of developing projects that discuss issues affecting residents’ daily lives. However, it is urgent that concrete changes happen and that society truly sees the reality of Vila Cachoeirinha, recognizing its needs and also its potential.
Project carried out with funds from the Federal Government, Aldir Blanc National Policy for the Promotion of Culture (PNAB) of the Ministry of Culture, through the City of Joaçaba, Department of Communication, Culture, Tourism and Events and Casa da Cultura Rogério Sganzerla.
