THIS IS BALLROOM

The category is: Cinema! THIS IS BALLROOM is a performative documentary that moves between a night of competition in Rio’s Ballroom scene, the daily lives of the artists and community members, and theatrical role-playing of historical characters. Fabulation meets fabulosity!

The audience is invited into an immersive experience in this parallel universe presented from within Brazil’s ballroom scene. This Afro-diasporic culture emerged out of 1970s New York and continues today in a very Brazilian way.

Queer families gather in Kiki Houses with mothers and fathers, meeting up in a welcoming and diverse environment. They challenge themselves in dance, beauty and performance categories, working to snatch Grand Prizes. However, as we deepen into the community, rivalries and conflicts arise. Tensions around gender and racism resonate within the community and in the funk balls. DJ, pump the beat! 

Directed by ballroom filmmakers Vitã and Juru, THIS IS BALLROOM is an insider gaze at the universe of Ballroom culture in Rio de Janeiro and its outskirts. They portray their community as a place of gathering and celebration but also a space where conflicts can be dealt with. Juru is a collaborator with Hemispheric Encounters and took part in the 2022 Queer Summer Institute, Transiting the Queer Uncommons, which, he says, shaped the making of the film. 

THIS IS BALLROOM had its world premiere at CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival in March 2024.