OSI's Public Health Watch screened My Brazil, a documentary by independent filmmaker Daniela Broitman that follows the participation of three community leaders in the Fifth World Social Forum. Broitman participated in a question-and-answer session following the film.
In the violent favelas of Rio de Janeiro, local community leaders put their lives on the line to fight for basic rights and services for their fellow citizens. What compels these volunteers with no political ambition to make such a personal sacrifice? My Brazil explores this question by following the daily lives of three courageous leaders and their participation in the Fifth World Social Forum the most important global meeting on social and economic justice. As they interact with activists, policymakers and leaders from all over the world, they seek ways to combat social, gender and racial discrimination, and improve living conditions in their communities.
My Brazil features 33 community leaders, Brazil s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Venezuela s President Hugo Chávez, Brazil s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, Portuguese writer José Saramago, Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano, Frei Betto and Leonardo Boff—two of the major voices of social justice in Latin America.