We released Proibido Nascer no Paraíso just as the Covid-19 pandemic was coming to an end. We at Sambaqui Cultural, the distributing company Boulevard Filmes, and the impact team. In the following pages we’ll provide an overview about how it all happened and, hopefully, encourage other filmmakers to not let their films go unseen.
This case study provides an assessment of the results and a memorial of the film’s distribution project. This compilation is intended both for those directly involved in the debate on obstetric violence, and for filmmakers who wish to learn more about how we develop and organize a film’s impact campaign in unison with a commercial distribution strategy.
We released Proibido Nascer no Paraíso just as the Covid-19 pandemic was coming to an end. We at Sambaqui Cultural, the distributing company Boulevard Filmes, and the impact team. In the following pages we’ll provide an overview about how it all happened and, hopefully, encourage other filmmakers to not let their films go unseen.
This case study provides an assessment of the results and a memorial of the film’s distribution project. This compilation is intended both for those directly involved in the debate on obstetric violence, and for filmmakers who wish to learn more about how we develop and organize a film’s impact campaign in unison with a commercial distribution strategy.
I believe the best way to release a documentary that speaks to a social cause is to combine the force of a social impact campaign with the reach of a commercial release. The idea is to transform the involvement of activists into further reach, whether for a paying or non-paying audience. Coordinating actions on both fronts amplifies the results and renders the film more likely to ‘happen’, that is, to become known to people who may benefit from it. Thus, in some way, the documentary may contribute to major societal changes, even if powerless to bring about such changes by itself.
Joana Nin, director and producer
Innovative distribution project
Commercial Release and Social Impact Campaign
The distribution of the feature film Proibido Nascer no Paraíso took place between 2020 and 2023 by a team devoted to evaluating the integration of commercial strategies and the documentary’s social ambitions. The film was concluded in 2020, right at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This mean that even the film festival circuit was an impossibility. This did not mean, however, that the film failed to reach an audience, quite the contrary! This case study presents our main results and lessons learned to empower us for future endeavors.
Actions
Phase 1
May to December 2020
Entirely online, prior to the film’s commercial release, featuring debate sessions for closed groups and development of the project’s social networks.
Phase 2
February and June 2021
Premiere in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Phase 3
second half of 2022 and first half of 2023
Social impact campaign alongside a re-release tour in movie theaters, recently reopened and welcoming back audiences.
Watch The Trailer
Commercial release
& impact campaign
Main results – 2020 to 2023
Budget
Phase 1
R$ 1 thousand
(distributing company)
Phase 2
R$ 35 thousand
(distributing company)
Phase 3
R$ 200 thousand
(resource grants: Profice/PR – Copel)
Audience
Phase 1
May to December 2020
Impact – about:
2.500 people
Audience in movie theaters:
——
Phase 2
February to June 2021
Impact – about:
1.000 people
Audience in movie theaters:
54 movie tickets
Phase 3
September to December 2022 and early 2023
Impact – about:
4.000 people
Audience in movie theaters:
1,129 movie tickets
The impact campaign alongside the commercial theatrical release, developed with the assistance of the tax incentive grant in 2022, increased the film’s official audience by
2.300 %
1283
Total audience in movie theaters
The documentary was screened in 16 movie theaters in 9 different citiess, with 18 in-person debate sessions with the director’s presence, in addition to a significant interest in screening sessions at schools, universities, and closed groups, held independently by those interested.
7500
Estimated impact audience
22 entities
related to the topic of the documentary were involved in the premiere.
Phase 1
Phase 1How did the impact campaign begin?
Online | May to December 2020
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, unable to release the documentary as envisioned in the distribution project, director Joana Nin and impact producer Rossana Giesteira decided to operate in the only feasible manner at the time: online. As a general rule, films released with a social strategy begin the campaign with in-person debate sessions alongside the target audience as well as activists and other people passionate about the film’s cause. However, with everyone confined in their homes and global social distancing guidelines, we had to be creative and find new solutions.
We forged partnerships with various entities focused on women’s issues, pregnancy and childbirth, a list that ultimately included 22 organizations at the end of the project, such as Fiocruz – Projeto Nascer no Brasil, OAB Mulher, Rede Rehuna, and B2Mamy. The screening sessions took place through a digital platform contracted by the partner distributing company, Boulevard Filmes. The debates were heated! From north to south of Brazil, those who wished to see the documentary film thrive, as it converged with their own personal interests and social causes, were joining forces and attracting other audiences. Director Joana Nin participated in online sessions to discuss the film as well as the BrLab Workshop on impact distribution.
PHASE 1: VIEW PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Fiocruz: Projeto Nascer no Brasil – Rio de Janeiro/RJ | OAB Pernambuco: Comissão da Mulher Advogada – Recife/PE | OAB MULHER – Rio de Janeiro/RJ | B2Mamy: A maior comunidade de mães no Brasil – São Paulo/SP | CPN: Centro de Parto Normal – Floripa/SC | Grupo Curumim – Recife/PE | Rehuna: Rede pela Humanização do Parto e Nascimento – Brasília/DF | Instituto Aurora: Educar em Direitos Humanos | BR LAB | PUCPR: Pontifícia Católica do Paraná – Curitiba/PR| Conexão UP: Universidade Positivo – Curitiba/PR
The launch of the film’s social networks – Instagram and Facebook – in May 2020 marks the beginning of this campaign.
Media coverage was vital to augment the success of the impact campaign. Some media stories gave plenty of exposure to the film, generating interest among a growing group of people.
(in Portuguese only – campaign carried out in Brazil)
Phase 2
Phase 2Commercial release
in-person and online | February and June 2021
The local community of Fernando de Noronha/PE was the first to have special screenings, held in February 2021. In April 2021, Cine Paradiso in Florianópolis hosted the film’s first cinema week.
On May 1, 2021, the documentary aired on the cable TV channel GNT, a major reference among women’s interest channel channels in Brazil with 13 million people in its audience and available on the Globoplay streaming platform, which has 30 million subscribers in Brazil.
During this period, the social media campaign gained momentum, and public engagement increased. Newspapers, radios, TVs, and blogs also spread the word about the film, and we began to receive recognition from specialized critics and invitations for interviews.
PHASE 2: VIEW PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Photos from the pre-premiere in Fernando de Noronha, February 2021
The film’s commercial release had to be pushed back by just over a month, as we were experiencing the second wave of Covid-19 and all theaters were closed again. Cine Paradiso, in the city of Florianópolis, held the first cine week of the film only from 04/15/2021. After a hiatus, we began to transition to digital format.
On May 1, 2021, a week before Mother’s Day, the documentary premiered on Canal GNT and Globoplay. The film aired on the cable TV channel GNT, a major reference among women’s interest channel channels in Brazil with 13 million people in its audience and available on the Globoplay streaming platform, which has 30 million subscribers in Brazil.
During this period, the campaign on social networks gained momentum with a special focus on producing content for the film’s release. Audience engagement was very significant. We received comments, shares, and many, many messages from people interested in the film.
Newspapers, radios, TVs, and blogs – the press office hired by the distributing company, Sinny Assessoria e Comunicação, promoted the film which soon sparked recognition from film critics and many interview opportunities.
Estúdio CBN – Entrevista. 04/03/2021.
Metrópolis – TV Cultura. 17/03/2021.
Phase 3
Phase 3Impact Campaign &
commercial re-release
in-person and online | June to December 2022 and early 2023
The impact distribution project of the documentary film Proibido Nascer no Paraíso had been selected in the Profice-PR public notice for raising funds through ICMS tax exemption in the State of Paraná since 2020, but the pandemic also delayed many fundraising activities. It was only in June 2022 that we managed to gather the necessary funds to complete the campaign.
The sponsorship from Copel enabled several actions to increase public interest in the film. After two months of preparation, Proibido Nascer no Paraíso arrives at Cine Passeio on 20/10/2022, in the city of Curitiba, with a packed screening session and debate panel!
PHASE 3: VIEW PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Photos from the session at Cine Passeio, on 20/10/2022, in Curitiba.
9 cities in the state of Paraná hosted screening sessions with a debate panel, almost all with the presence of director Joana Nin – Curitiba, Londrina, Maringá, Foz do Iguaçu, Irati, Fazenda Rio Grande, Campo Mourão, Campo Largo, Medianeira. Furthermore, the film had a theatrical run in 6 of these cities.
Maringá
Foz do Iguaçu
Curitiba
But we didn’t stop there. We toured the documentary film with debate sessions in other states: Rio de Janeiro/RJ; Sao Paulo/SP; João Pessoa and Campina Grande/PB; Natal, RN; and Recife/PE.
Our social networks were once again buzzing with offers to screen the film – including on the Taturana Mobi platform, for non-commercial collective screenings. There were many debates and interactions with many different audiences.
In December 2022 we ended the tour, but the film remained available on the Taturana platform. We all left with a feeling of contentment in our hearts, knowing that the combined efforts of our team had been worthwhile. Every single one of us put in our best efforts to ensure the documentary Proibido Nascer no Paraíso reached a wide audience and was seen and talked about by many people. And the hope that one day we may give birth and be born more respectfully.
Some comments from participants in the impact discussions
Click on the photos to watch debate videos
I’ve met Obstetrics professors who would casually state, ‘look, childbirth is a very simple thing: engine, object, and path.’ The “engine” is the woman’s uterus that pushes, the “object” is the fetus, and the “path” is the vagina. So, against this mechanical view comes the proposal to humanize, to remind that a woman is not just a uterus, she is a human being; the fetus isn’t an object exiting the woman; and the vagina isn’t just a path, it’s part of the woman. And neither is the healthcare professional the mechanic who will fix this “engine” if it has any problems or “breaks down.
Daphne Rattner – Doctor, professor at UNB, and President of ReHuNa Network
Women need to be part of this decision. Thus, often even in situations where it’s indeed necessary to go to the mainland, this will be accepted in a more peaceful way because she was part of that decision. Not exactly the way the film shows, as something veiled, saying that a woman doesn’t care about her baby. This strategy is used on all women, used on upper-middle-class women to convince them to undergo a cesarean, for example. We need to guarantee the right to quality information so that she can fully exercise her right to autonomy over her own body.
Maísa Melo – Prosecutor and creator of the “Childbirth Humanization” Project of MPPE
The revolution will never arise, develop, and succeed within the medical field. This is unrealistic; nowhere do you see a revolution, a change of model, induced by the oppressors, that doesn’t exist. Therefore, the revolution must come from women because it will be feminist, or it won’t be.
Dr. Melania Amorim – MD, PhD, University Professor, Gynecologist and Obstetrician
In various places around the world, there are women giving birth in small locations, with health professionals attending and selecting those with complications. (…) There are ways to know what happens in other places where women are more respected so that our Brazilian women can also be respected and give birth where they live. I think this is feasible, and it has been feasible outside of Brazil.
Maria do Carmo Leal – Coordinator of the “Born in Brazil” Study, ENSP FioCruz
Here in Pernambuco, the Women’s Lawyer Commission watched this film in a private session. All the members of the commission – I think there were more than 50 – who watched this film, all were astounded regarding what happens on the island. But it’s not just on the island, it’s essential to say that thousands of women, in fact, can’t make essential decisions about their bodies. (…) It’s a national issue, it’s a planetary problem.
Fabiana Leite – President of the Women’s Lawyer Commission of OAB/PE
I found the documentary extremely important; it’s necessary to keep talking about this issue, about obstetric violence, about how women have their rights constantly distorted and threatened by the State. So, what we see there is yet another attempt to control female bodies. It’s very important to allow these women to give birth where they choose, to have this autonomy.
Mayara Abdul-Khalek, gynecologist and obstetrician, activist for humanized childbirth
Balance
Childbird Banned In Paradise
distribution case
Commercial Release and Social Impact Campaign – 2020 to 2023
Our motivations
- Encourage changes in mentality and further respect for the ancestry of local peoples and women’s rights during pregnancy and childbirth.
- Denaturalize ‘violence disguised as assistance’ inflicted on pregnant women and offer a more respectful approach and treatment.
- Promote empathy to combat obstetric violence and promote increased awareness and respect to the personal decisions of each individual woman during pregnancy and childbirth.
Lessons learned
- Impact campaign actions can and should start even before the film has funds for distribution, provided that there are people willing to organize and propose activities to organizations associated with the social cause.
- The proposed campaign for phase 3 of the project needed more time to yield better results. The programming of official theaters does not synergize with the other impact actions; hence the campaign has to kick off before the cinema programming team is involved.
- Advertising and promotion continue to be the chief obstacle for disseminating social documentaries, despite the proliferation of social networks and the participation of activists, citizens, and organizations.
Pregnancy has been used as a pretext to take away women’s autonomy over their own bodies, rendering the State a sort of “guardian”, making decisions for us that commonly run counter to our interests, desires, and aspirations.
Due to the special nature and singularity of Fernando de Noronha, State intervention becomes particularly conspicuous and decisive.
Concluding remarks by the filmmaker
The force behind my work is the desire to make films that are capable of changing something in society, or at least reveal something that was hidden. Whether minor or structural, this is what I believe filmmaking is all about: transformation. When it comes to documentary films, however, the obstacle is as vast as it is despairing: The challenge of making our films known to the public. I am not at all satisfied with this situation, after all we don’t make films to leave them inside a drawer for eternity. And it was this feeling that drove me towards the worldwide and growing movement regarding the impact documentary. Since the release of my first feature film, in 2015, I’ve been researching ways to work to attract an audience. I devoted my master’s research to this subject, and in August 2022 I concluded the thesis Films to Change the World: production and distribution of social impact documentaries (PUC-RJ) (in Portuguese only as of now). I sought to investigate this new distribution methodology works, an association between social engagement and strategic communication, focused on social transformations. We have seen many successful cases in England and the United States, where documentaries can, in fact, encourage debates and incite changes that will positively impact the lives of different people and transform different settings. So, I believe that yes, it is possible to make documentaries that have public appeal. The major challenge is to devise ways to bridge the gap and promote the encounter between film and audience.
In Brazil, we have been “experimenting” with how this works in practice. I decided to test this method in the impact campaign of my film Proibido Nascer no Paraíso. This all began with a few questions. How is it possible that women can’t even choose where and how they want to have their babies? What are these rules that prevent us from deciding about our own bodies, merely because we are pregnant? The questions urged us to draw in more people and hear their thoughts, because once the screening session ends, these questions cannot be left unanswered. We need to encourage reflection and draw attention to something that exists and is hidden in many tourist “paradises” across Brazil and around the world. I hope that the film has somehow contributed to further this debate. I express my appreciation to everyone who joined us in this journey.
Joana Nin – 2023
UN Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs met by the film
Goal 3. Good Health and Well-Being – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Goal 5. Gender Equality – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Goal 10. Reduced Inequalities – Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Crew
Distribution Team · Impact Campaign & Commercial Launch Direction and Executive Production
Joana Nin; Launch Production · Letícia Friedrich and João Saldanha / Boulevard Films; Theater Programming · Letícia Santinon, Elói Pires, and Talício Sirino (PR). Impact Production · Rossana Giesteira (coordination) and Linda Marina. Local Articulation · Carolina Damião; Local Articulation Assistant · Fabiana Motooka; Campaign Graphic Designers · Marcellus Schnell and Martha Barros; Landing Page · Rogério Mosimann; Press and Social Media Relations · Paula Ferraz and Txai Ferraz (phase 2); Larissa Biscaia and Beatriz Ponte (phase 3); Executive Production Assistant · Sabrina Trentim and Paty Muri. Creation of the Impact Session Guide · Sabrina Demozzi and Matheus Coimbra. Acknowledgment · Andreza Rodrigues; Impact Screening Partnership · Taturana Social Mobilization; Text Translation · Paulo Scarpa; Landing Page · Rogério Mosimann – Infomídia.
Film Specs · CHILDBIRD BANNED IN PARADISE (78’, BR, 2021)
Production · Joana Nin and Ade Muri / Sambaqui Cultural; Direction · Joana Nin; Script · Joana Nin, Sandra Nodari, and Julia Lea de Toledo; Research · Sandra Nodari; Direction Assistant · Julia Lea de Toledo; Executive Production · Joana Nin and Chris Spode; Cinematography · Rafael Mazza, Elisandro Dalcin, and Cosmo Roncon Jr.; Additional Photography and Drone · Fábio Borges; Direct Sound · Roberto Oliveira; Production Direction · Paula Alves; Editing · Nina Galanternick; Post-Production Producer · Ade Muri; Original Soundtrack · Fábio Nin; Sound Editing Supervision · Miriam Biderman, ABC. Sound Design and Mixing · Ricardo Reis, ABC.