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EGILI – Black Queen of Carnaval

Egili Oliveira, 42, is a confident Black Brazilian woman who is still fighting for her place in society while defending her status as a samba queen in Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Carnaval.

Egili is getting ready for the 2022 Carnaval parade in Rio de Janeiro. Alongside her samba school, "Acadêmicos de Vigário Geral", she takes part in the competition in the Sambadome arena. Her journey to maintain her place in Carnaval and in society as a Black Brazilian woman is a long and hard road - until the samba dancer transforms into the dazzling Drum Queen, the "Rainha da Bateria”.

  • Caroline Reucker
    Director
    Le ciel la terre e l'homme
  • Caroline Reucker
    Writer
    Le ciel la terre e l'homme
  • Caroline Reucker
    Producer
    Le ciel la terre e l'homme
  • Egili Oliveira
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    EGILI - rainha retinta no carnaval
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 21 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 12, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    116,703 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    English, Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    4K EVA1 Panasonic
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1998 × 1080
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Caroline Reucker

Caroline Reucker is a freelance filmmaker, director, producer and author.

Caroline was born in Marl/North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany in 1985. After graduating from high school, she first wanted to learn the practical aspects used in filmmaking and trained as a "media designer for image and sound". On the side, Caroline began to produce smaller, documentary films on her own.

Later she enrolled at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg with a major in documentary film directing. There she learned about the great many ways of storytelling in documentaries. It was then that she developed her own cinematic style. Her films are characterized by an empathetic, open attitude and allow intimate insights into strange, unknown realities of life.

After graduating with a diploma she worked as a freelance producer, director and filmmaker in Ludwigsburg and Berlin. Since 2021 she lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Egili - rainha retinta no carnaval is her first documentary feature film.

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Director Statement

I believe that all people have similar wishes and dreams, but that not everyone is given the same opportunities in life because of their origin or skin color. I wanted to unterstand that by accompanying the samba dancer and "rainha de bateria" Egili Oliveira, who is claiming her place in the Carnaval Carioca and in Brazilian society.

I wanted to get a feeling for what it is like to fight against everyday difficulties and discrimination as an independent Black woman and look at the performance of Egili and the many artists, helpers and workers in the carnival with more respect.