Brazil / 2014 / 20mins / Drama / Portuguese

The Summer of Gods is a short film about a young girl named Lili who unites with her Afro-Brazilian religious ancestry on a summer visit to their ancestral village in rural Brazil. During her stay, she encounters Orishas (African gods) who help her find peace with a gift that has previously vexed her. Lili’s Grandma upholds Orisha traditions as an admired local priestess, but to ensure these traditions carry on after she passes, the gifted Lili is led on a mystical adventure of initiation through a nearby forest.

Eliciana Nascimento

Eliciana Nascimento is an award-winning film director and producer. She holds an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. Her short film The Summer of Gods premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2014 and won the Spirit Award and Best Cinematography at the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival, as well as Special Recognition for Directing Narrative Award at the Black Star Film Festival. With this film, she reveals the beauty, culture and mythology of her people and hopes that it will encourage the preservation of Orishas traditions by inspiring viewers to honor them and learn more. In 2017, Eliciana joined the School of Film, Dance and Theatre - Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University as a Tenure-track Assistant Professor to teach cinematography and film production. She directed and edited the short documentary Nurse Helen Fairchild in 2019 which has also screened at several festivals. Learn More