'Exu and the Universe' Wins Best Brazilian Documentary at São Paulo International Film Festival

Directed by Thiago Zanato, Exu and the Universe was awarded Best Documentary at its world premiere at the Rio 2022 Festival. Now, the feature has picked up the Audience Award for Best Brazilian Documentary at the 46th São Paulo International Film Festival.

It took five years to produce the documentary that shares the history of a beautiful and millennial culture through the voice of Nigerian Bàbálórìsà Adesiná Síkírù Sàlámì, known as Professor King. Signed by Druzina Content, Livres Filmes and Thiago Zanato, the film aims to change the perception of African culture and religion in Brazil and in the world, telling the real history behind the word EXU and all the Orixás. 

“I was doing film research on portraits of religions as a form of resistance, against oppressive, colonialist and capitalist processes, which do not allow other religions to continue to exist. When I met Prof King, I understood that his world view was very particular and interesting, and quite different from the western view,” reveals Zanato.

Besides the participation of real people that brings facts to the public, we can see how history happens while Professor King brings to words of a past and an illustration starts to reveal how the characters were guided to change the perception of a whole culture, making the public travel in time and witness the changes.

For Black Madre it was an honour being invited to be part of the story. With a composition that reunited some scenes of the past, the illustrations help to narrate parts of the movie and pieces of history that Professor King reminds and explain how it traced the way to the present and how the African culture suffered with the colonization through the years, modifying the real meaning of lot of things.