“Universal and mythical”: peripheries of a Rio de Janeiro film circuit

“Universal e mítica”: periferias de um circuito de cinema do Rio de Janeiro

The present article discusses some of the meanings attributed to the periphery as portrayed in a film circuit in the Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro. Based on ethnography carried out between 2018 and 2024, the work presented below investigates audiovisual collectives organized by the Baixada Filma movement, whose activities and productions are often described as “periphery cinema”. Taking as our starting point the problematization of this concept, we reflect upon the ambivalences and disputes surrounding the term periphery in order to highlight its polysemic uses as a category of representation and its impact on the construction of subjectivities and relationships with the city.

Keywords:
Periphery; Cinema; Baixada Fluminense; Audiovisual; City