Dry Ground Burning

NOTE: Joana Pimenta unfortunately will no longer be appearing in person 

Dirs. Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós. 2022, Brazil. 152 mins. DCP. Taking the form of dystopic science-fiction but more influenced by the visuals of ethnographic nonfiction, the hallucinatory Dry Ground Burning boldly combines documentary footage and dramatized, performed narrative to create a portrait of a rough-and-raw alternate reality Brazil. Set in the Sol Nascente favela in Brasilia, Pimenta and Queirós’s unconventional epic follows an all-female gang of pirates, led by three women, including no-nonsense Chitara (Joana Darc Furtado), her ex-con sister Léa (Léa Alves da Silva), and Andreia Vieira, who siphon oil from the authoritarian government, living as outlaws on the outskirts of society. A fervent political commentary on Bolsonaro’s Brazil, as well as on the slipperiness of identity—its main actors inhabit veiled versions of their real selves—this is a triumphant and invigorating cry for radical resistance. A Grasshopper Film release. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for MoMI members at the Senior/Student level and above. Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.