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My Blood Is Red

"Beautiful on every level. A tremendously powerful and moving hymn to a people’s determination to survive” - Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King)

"This fearless film - a bracing, haunting experience ... beautiful and profound - essential viewing, demanding to be watched" - PORT Magazine UK

"Masterpiece" - Scénema

“A charismatic young indigenous rapper is the moral center of this searing movie. Haunting music. Powerful images. An amazing piece of work. This is courageous movie-making. See it!”
Frank Oz
(dir: Little Shop Of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Indian in the Cupboard)

In the middle of an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe a young poet raps in the forest.

My Blood Is Red is a music documentary with a very dark heart. It follows the fortunes of a young indigenous rapper as he tries to make sense of the violence being meted out against his people. His name is Werá and his lyrics are fuelled by the anger and sadness he feels, confronted by the state-condoned genocide of the disenfranchised indigenous of Brazil. On his journey he is adopted by Criolo – one of Brazil’s most famous music artists and godfather of Brazilian hip-hop. He’s also comforted and counselled by Sonia Guajajara, the internationally recognised indigenous leader and charismatic figurehead of the indigenous struggle.

Driven by beats and lyrics we descend into a world of official violence and end up at the largest assembly of indigenous people in Brazil – a demonstration against the government’s barbaric policy of arming farmers, loggers and miners. Thousands of painted and feathered indigenous people – men, women and children – hurl coffins at the Senate building and are repelled with tear gas and rubber bullets.

So actually, this is a film about genocide. And one young artist's response to it.

Because we present as a music documentary we are able to carry this message of the indigenous struggle to commercial and world-music audiences that otherwise might never hear of it. That is the power and the duty of the documentary form – to take an audience on an emotional journey that leaves them with a deeper understanding of the variety, and yet also the shared space of the human experience.

Like Werá says: “We are all Guarani Kaiowa”.

He’s still rapping in the forest today …

As it burns down around him.

  • Various
    Direction & Cinematography
  • Brian Mitchell
    Producer
  • Jeremy Sams
    Producer
  • Marcelo Vogelaar
    Producer
  • Brenden Hubbard
    Producer
  • Criolo
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Sonia Guajajara
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Werá Jeguaka Mirim
    Key Cast
    "Kunumi MC"
  • Vincent Carelli
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Various
    Director
  • Graci Guarani
    Cinematography
    - Several Indigenous Films
  • Alexandre Pankararu
    Cinematography
    - Curator - Coletivo Aty Guasu
  • Thiago Dezan
    Cinematography
    - Resident Cinematographer - Inter-American Commision on Human Rights
  • Diogenes Baptistella
    Music
  • Mawaca
    Music
  • Werá Jeguaka Mirim
    Music
  • Mr Bomba
    Music
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Meu Sangue é Vermelho
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Music/Political
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 26 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 7, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    75,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    English, Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • St Louis International Film Festival
    St Louis
    United States
    November 17, 2019
    St Louis
    Official Selection - Spotlight on Human Rights Competition
  • Buenos Aires International Film Festival
    Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    Argentina Premiere
    Best Feature
  • Nottingham International Film Festival
    Nottingham
    United Kingdom
    November 13, 2020
    Film of the Festival and Best Documentary Feature
  • Lonely Seal International Film, Screenplay and Music Festival
    Arlington, MA
    United States
    October 7, 2020
    Best International Documentary
  • Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
    Carmarthen, Wales
    United Kingdom
    May 17, 2021
    Welsh
    Winner - Best Documentary Feature
  • South Film & Arts Academy Festival
    Rancagua
    Chile
    Chilean Premiere
    Best Original Score in a Feature Film
  • Santa Monica International Film Festival
    Santa Monica
    United States
    Honourable Mention - Documentary Feature
  • CUZCO UNDERGROUND CINEMA FESTIVAL
    Cusco
    Peru
    October 1, 2020
    Peru
    Winner - Best Feature Documentary
  • Twilight Tokyo Film Festiva
    Tokyo
    Japan
    Winner - Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Film
  • Beyond The Curve International Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    September 30, 2020
    France
    Award of Excellence - Best Documentary
  • Los Angeles Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Winner - Honorable Mention - Documentary Feature
  • RNCI Red Nation International Film Awards
    Woodland Hills
    United States
    November 15, 2019
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Awareness Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Winner – Merit Award of Awareness
  • Crown Wood International Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    Best Documentary Feature and Best Environmental Film
  • Milestone Worldwide Film Festival
    Salerno
    Italy
    Italian Premiere
    Best Original Score and Best Editing
  • Madrid Indie Film Festival

    Official Selection
  • London Independent Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    Winner - Best Original Score in a Feature
  • London Independent Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    Honourable Mention - Documentary Feature
  • Florence Film Awards
    Florence
    Italy
    Finalist
  • Accolade Global Film Competition
    La Jolla, CA
    United States
    Award of Recognition - Documentary Feature
  • Accolade Global Film Competition
    La Jolla, CA
    United States
    Award of Merit - Native American / Aboriginal Peoples
  • Accolade Global Film Competition
    La Jolla, CA
    United States
    Award of Merit - Liberation / Social Justice / Protest
  • Festival de Cinema de Alter do Chão
    Alter do Chão, Santarém
    Brazil
    October 21, 2019
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • this human world
    Vienna
    Austria
    October 26, 2019
    European
    Official Selection
  • Latitude Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    Silver Winner
  • Fusion Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    February 21, 2020
    UK
    Official Selection
  • Impact DOCS Awards
    La Jolla
    United States
    Award of Recognition - Documentary Feature
  • Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival
    Santa Monica CA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Cobb International Film Festival
    Kennesaw, GA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Rivers Edge International Film Festival
    Paducah KY
    United States
    August 13, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Tagore International Film Festival
    Bolpur
    India
    May 30, 2020
    Winner - Outstanding Achievement - Documentary Feature
  • Tagore International Film Festival
    Bolpur
    India
    May 30, 2020
    Winner - Outstanding Achievement - Original Score
  • Cult Critic Movie Awards
    Kolkata
    India
    Winner - Best Documentary
  • IndieFEST Film Awards
    La Jolla
    August 4, 2020
    Winner - Award of Excellence: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest
  • IndieFEST Awards
    La Jolla
    United States
    August 4, 2020
    Award of Excellence: Native American / Aboriginal Peoples
  • IndieFEST
    La Jolla
    United States
    August 4, 2020
    Award of Merit Special Mention: Documentary Feature
  • Depth of Field International Film Festival
    Nassau, DE
    United States
    July 31, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival

    United States
    October 21, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Southeastern International Film & Music Festival
    Nashville, TN
    United States
    October 30, 2020
    Tennesee
    Official Selection
  • Flatland Film Festival
    Lubbock, TX
    United States
    September 24, 2020
    Texas
    Official Selection
  • Santa Fe Independent Film Festiva
    Santa Fe, NM
    United States
    October 14, 2020
    New Mexico
    Official Selection
  • Ojai Film Festival
    Ojai CA
    United States
    November 5, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival
    Rio de Janeiro/Miami
    Brazil
    October 28, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Bahamas International Film Festival
    Nassau
    Bahamas
    January 10, 2021
    Winner - Spirit of Freedom
  • JellyFest
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 20, 2021
    Finalist
  • Socially Relevant Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    March 15, 2021
    New York
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Glen Reynolds at Circus Road Films: glen@circusroadfilms.com
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
  • Linda Nelson at Indie Rights indierights@gmail.com
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Various

Needs Must Film – A little about us

We are a collective of film-makers from many cultures who pool our skills to a common end. Our goal is to make world-class human-interest documentaries that have a social enterprise element built in to the production process. We do this by partnering with the community whose story we’re trying to tell. In this way, the community can benefit materially from the production process but, more importantly, they can retain a sense of ownership in their stories.
Our most beautiful images are the work of indigenous cinematographers, such as Graciela Guarani (pictured), Inaye Lopes, Tonico Benites and Alexandre Pankararu. And indigenous filmmaker cooperatives like Coletivo Aty Guasu and Coletivo Olhar da Alma.
We celebrate the indigenous lens!
"My Blood Is Red" also features the work of Thiago Dezan - resident filmmaker at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

There is no celebrity voice-over. No narration. No voice of authority telling you what you’re supposed to think - leaving it to the splendid and courageous people in our film to tell their own stories, in their own voices.
So in many ways the directors of this film are the indigenous people of Brazil. It was they who told us what we should film - what was important to them. We just turned the film over to them and let them speak to you directly, face to face.

“A love story, a tragedy and a celebration of the indigenous lens”