It wasn’t just the major Brazilian cities that were hit hard by the 2020 pandemic. In the city of Breves, located in the southwest of Marajó Island in Pará, the routine of the population had to be completely altered. This was the case for 21-year-old Breno Amaral, who ended up getting infected with Covid-19 and experiencing the suffering of the disease up close. Besides recovering, the young man found inspiration to turn the drama into a film, awarded at the V National Filmmakers 360º Festival.
The work “The Pandemic in Marajó” was born in the Recode project in partnership with Facebook Brazil, “360º Filmmakers – Virtual Reality for Impact”. Fábio Acioli, from the Maria Elizete Fona Nunes School, Breno toured the city to report how the residents were reacting to the pandemic.
“It was a difficult and very careful job. We always had to carry alcohol with us and sanitize the equipment. It was also difficult to find places to shoot. At the health center, for example, we had to shoot only in front” – says the young man.
Professor Fábio Acioli also highlights the success of the project. For him, seeing the final result was gratifying: “Participating in ‘360º Filmmakers’ is always a great satisfaction. Working in this pandemic context was challenging. Breno is a disciplined, organized, and visionary young man. We are proud to grow together with him in significant learning experiences that will undoubtedly serve as an incentive to add new young people to the project” – he emphasizes.
The work “The Pandemic in Marajó” was ultimately awarded as the great highlight of the V National Filmmakers 360º Festival, held virtually in December 2020. After this recognition, Breno hopes to evolve even more and continue on the audiovisual path:“The Recode course provided me with an even greater interest in the area. I started doing research, studying design, video production and editing. My goal is to continue. The project was very important to me”– he celebrates.
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