Private Project

This is Ballroom

In Rio de Janeiro City and its outskirts, LGBTQIAPN++ youth of color recreates Ballroom culture on their own terms. A portrait of the dramas, the voguing performances, and the art of shade, 50 years after its inception in New York. Rio is burning!

  • Juru
    Director
  • Vitã
    Director
  • Juru
    Writer
  • Vitã
    Writer
  • Luis Carlos de Alencar
    Producer
    Role - Stories Of Brazilian Protests In Malls
  • Vladimir Seixas
    Producer
    It's Not The First Time We Fight For Our Love
  • Camilla Ribeiro
    Executive Producer
  • Júnia Matsuura
    Creative Producer
  • House of Alafia
    Key Cast
    "House of Alafia"
  • House of Blyndex
    Key Cast
    " House of Blyndex"
  • House of Bushidö
    Key Cast
    "House of Bushidö"
  • House of Cabal
    Key Cast
    "House of Cabal"
  • House of Cazul
    Key Cast
    "House of Cazul"
  • Casa de Cosmos
    Key Cast
    "Casa de Cosmos"
  • Casa de Dandara
    Key Cast
    "Casa de Dandara "
  • Casa dy Fokatruá Fokatruá
    Key Cast
    "Casa dy Fokatruá "
  • House of Império
    Key Cast
    "House of Império "
  • Casa de Lafond
    Key Cast
    "Casa de Lafond "
  • House of Mamba Negra
    Key Cast
    "House of Mamba Negra"
  • House of Raabe
    Key Cast
    "House of Raabe"
  • 007s
    Key Cast
    "007s"
  • Paula Montes
    DoP
  • Suelen Menezes
    DoP
  • Peterkino
    Editor
  • Thiago Sobral
    Sound Mix/Editing
  • Globalkunt
    Music
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Salão de Baile
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    LGBTQ+
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 32 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    90,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    English, Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Sony Fs7; Sony Fx3)
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Juru, Vitã

Co-Director:
Juru is a Brazilian researcher, dramaturgist and performing arts critic. Casting coach for the feature film "Com O Terceiro Olho na Terra da Profanação", by Catu Rizo (2017, Mostra do Filme Livre) and the short film "Sunset", by Bruno Roger (2014, Mix Brasil). Dramaturgist in the performance "Repertory n. 1", by Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira. Master in Contemporary Arts Studies at UFF and PhD student in Arts at UERJ.

Co-Director:
Vitã is a filmmaker and screenwriter, active in the Brazilian film and TV industry for over 10 years. Director of the short film "The day I remembered the trip to Bicuda" (2015), Producer of the feature documentary "It's Not the First Time We Fight For Our Love" (2022), about the emergence of the Brazilian LGBT movement (Special Jury Award at Rio LGBTQIA+ Festival, Special Mention at Prêmio Félix at Rio de Janeiro Int'l Film Festival). Curator of Brazilian Comedy Film Festival (festcomico.com.br) and of showcases on Hong Sangsoo films in four cities in Brazil. Master's degree in Communication, Cinema and Audiovisual at UFF (Brazil). In the ballroom scene, they participate as an independent photographer and are a member of the Legendary House of Lauren Intl.

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Director Statement

Directed by ballroom filmmakers, THIS IS BALLROOM is an insider gaze at the universe of Ballroom culture in Rio de Janeiro and its outskirts. We portray our community as a place of gathering and celebration but also a space where conflicts can be dealt with.

We filmed a ball specially held for this project, then followed the daily lives of some houses that attended the event. Structured as a multiplot narrative, the film features exclusive performances in outdoor locations and strong testimonies. To tell stories from the past, we used archival images and reenactments of foundational events of ball culture in the USA, with our cast role-playing historical characters.

Among the conflicts emerged during the shootings, there are rivalries related to racial issues and gender categories. We also discuss the complexities of translating a US-American culture to Brazilian reality, and innovations created here, like the Batekoo dance - born within the favela's funk balls.