Sisters

Marianna
Brennand

After graduating with a degree in film at UCSB, Marianna Brennand returned to Brazil to make a documentary about her great-uncle Francisco, a Brazilian artist globally recognized for his ceramic work. Investing in a poetic narrative approach based on her character’s diaries, Francisco Brennand premiered in 2012 and won both Best Brazilian Documentary and Best Brazilian Film at the São Paulo Film Festival. Earlier, in 2007, Brennand directed another documentary, O Coco, a Roda, o Pnêu e o Farol, about the rich musical tradition of “coco de roda” in Olinda, a city in the state of Pernambuco. Manas marks Brennand’s feature film directorial debut and is the result of a ten-year research into the complex and delicate subject of the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and teenagers on Marajó Island, in the Amazon rainforest.

In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, Tielle (13) grows up with dreams inspired by her older sister’s escape. As she matures, the illusions she clings to begin to crumble, revealing a world of deep-rooted exploitation and abuse. Determined to protect her younger sister and reshape their future, she dares to challenge the forces that bind the women in her community, in a poignant exploration of resilience and resistance.