Private Project

EMPIRE

The crown jewels of the empire rise and fall in this subversive and highly symbolic satirical short.

First Brazilian film to be entirely produced through blockchain. We received support from the Near Foundation to make this short film.

  • Thais de Almeida Prado
    Director
  • Thais de Almeida Prado
    Writer
  • Thais de Almeida Prado
    Producer
  • Gustavo Vinagre
    Key Cast
  • Rafael Rudolf
    Key Cast
  • Blu Simon Wasem
    Key Cast
  • Thais de Almeida Prado
    Sound Design
  • Thais de Almeida Prado
    Editor
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    IMPÉRIO
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 16, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Frameline 47
    San Francisco
    United States
    June 16, 2023
    World
    At the Shorts sessions: The Ace of Wands Tarot
  • FilmFest Dresden
    Dresden
    Germany
    June 28, 2023
    European
  • Way OUT West Film Fest #21
    Albuquerque, NM
    United States
    October 13, 2023
    Southwest premiere.
  • Courts Mais Trash & Queer Mais Trash
    Brussels
    Belgium
    January 30, 2024
  • KO(O)RTS / Weird, Wicked & Wonderfull
    Enschede
    Netherlands
    September 20, 2024
  • EXPERIMENTAL LOOP
    Nova York
    United States
    June 7, 2025
    Third Prize by experimental loop international jury
  • Festival Mix Brasil
    São Paulo
    Brazil
  • Porn Film Festiva Barcelona
    Barcelona
    Spain
    March 16, 2025
    Political Shorts
  • Excéntrico Fest
    Santiago e Valparaiso
    Chile
    January 23, 2024
  • San Francisco Porn Film Festival
    San Francisco
    United States
    August 18, 2023
  • Porn Film Festival Vienna
    Vienna
    Austria
  • Amsterdam Porn Film Festival
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    February 8, 2024
    Netherland
  • HACKER PORN FILM FESTIVAL
    Rome
    Italy
    April 26, 2024
  • Porny Days Film Art Festival
    Zurich
    November 24, 2024
  • Durante
    Belo Horizonte
    Brazil
    November 1, 2024
Distribution Information
  • Pink Label TV
    Country: United States
    Rights: Video on Demand, Pay Per View
Director Biography - Thais de Almeida Prado

https://linktr.ee/thaisampr  

Thais de Almeida Prado is a filmmaker, scriptwriter, multidisciplinary artist and actor. Thais' work permeates the interdisciplinary boundaries between cinema, performance, dance, theater, visual arts, music and literature, often in collaboration with other artists.  
Thais is one of the Talents of Projeto Paradiso, participated at TFL Next Comedy (Torino, Italy); Talents BA (Buenos Aires, Argentine), Panorama Lab (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Doc.Lisboa Arché Lab (Lisbon, Portugal), Series Lab (Sao Paulo, Brazil). At Arché, Thaís received the "Special Arché Jury Award, for the best project in writing and development stage" to "The Brazilwood Women", a film project that explores the desire on canvas. As part of "As Mulheres do Pau-Brasil’s" research Thais directed the short-films “Empire” and “My Part”.

Filmography: Monstras (23min, 2025); Cucumber/Knife (15min, 2024); Empire (4min, 2023); My Part (7min, 2022); With My Eyes-Dog (45min, 2022); Will We All Be Cacti in the Future? (2021 - 13min); B - There is something wrong with Charlie (15min, 2021); Aller / Retour (3min30, 2021); Nowhere (2020, 70min); The Boats (2012, 23min); Passagens (2011, 11min); Exercice du regarde (2010, 10min30s); Sohl Canal (2010, 08min); “Disturbios no Vazio” (Noises in the Void, 3min, 2009).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The desire to create this film arose from my project THE BRAZILWOOD WOMEN, which explores the cisgender male body as an object, gradually moving toward its deconstruction. While working on the feature-length script, I realized that what I call "the prologue" could stand as a film in its own right. Thus, IMPERIUM was born—a preview of THE BRAZILWOOD WOMEN and an attempt to deconstruct social empires.

The prologue examines the male genitals in a moment of struggle and instability, inviting the audience to reflect on broader cultural symbols and their meanings. This is an exploration of power, balance, and the fragility of structures that claim permanence. Let this be an invitation to question the empires within and around us.

"The Phallus Seen Through the Rift" (as Professor Yaci-Ara describes in her article), this project is also a visual essay—a reflection on the symbolism of the phallus when observed in a moment of tension and vulnerability. By shifting perspectives, we aim to expose the cracks in social constructions that often remain unchallenged. This rift allows us to explore what lies beneath these structures, offering an opportunity for reimagining and reshaping power dynamics in contemporary narratives.