Brazil

Joel Zito Araújo is a filmmaker, researcher, writer, and screenwriter, born in the city of Nanuque, Brazil in 1954. He graduated from the School of Communications and Arts at USP with a degree in Communication Sciences. He then did his postdoctoral studies in the radio, TV, and film in the anthropology department at the University of Texas at Austin. He began his film career by directing both short and medium-length documentaries that focused on the problems of Brazilian society. In 1999, he finished his first feature film, O efêmero estado, União de Jeová, Sobre Udelino de MatosA negacão do Brasil, about the history of black characters in Brazilian soap operas, which eventually was also released as a book. Joel Araújo’s film, É Tudo VerdadeFilhas do ventoTiradentes, was named best film by the audience and was selected to participate in festivals in India, France, South Africa, and Cameroon.

Filmography

Memórias de Classe (1989)
Alma Negra da Cidade (1990)
Almerinda, Uma Mulher de Trinta (1991)
São Paulo abraça Mandela (1991)
Retrato em Preto e Branco (1993)
Eu, Mulher Negra (1994)
Ondas Brancas nas Pupilas Negras (1995)
A Exceção e a Regra (1997)
O Efêmero Estado União de Jeová (1999)
Denying Brazil / A Negação do Brasil (2000)
Vista A Minha Pele (2003)
Filhas do Vento (2004)
Um Show De Diversidade (2008)
Cinderelas, Lobos e um Príncipe Encantado (2009)
Raça (2013)
My Friend Fela (2019)