2024 San Francisco Latino Film Festival

Skin of Glass / Pele de Vidro

Available in 10d 15h 34m 33s
Available October 27, 2024 7:00 PM UTC
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When Brazilian-American filmmaker Denise Zmekhol discovers that her late father's most celebrated work as an architect in São Paulo is now occupied by homeless squatters, she begins a journey to reckon with her past and the harsh inequality transforming the country of her birth. Her initially personal quest forces her to face a growing global crisis: one in six people in the world are squatters. The film evolves as a poetic essay on displacement, the concept of home, and the role of architecture in urban life. A modernist icon affectionately known as “Pele de Vidro” (Skin of Glass), the building itself becomes a central character. Roger Zmekhol, a Syrian immigrant to Brazil, was just 32 years old when he designed it. Conceived in the vibrant era of Bossa Nova and Cinema Novo, it was built in the early days of a dictatorship that would hold power for two decades. Ultimately, through in-depth interactions with the homeless who occupied her father’s building, Denise starts to see Pele de Vidro from a larger perspective. The dramatic changes that transform the building reflect Brazil itself during eras of darkness, transformation, and rebirth. The film builds a searing portrait of a country in crisis through the personal story of a father and daughter and the built environment of São Paulo where their lives, memories, and dreams overlap.

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    90 minutes
  • Language
    English, French, Portuguese
  • Country
    Brazil, France, United States
  • Genre
    Arts, Culture, Political, Society
  • Subtitle Language
    English
  • Note
    https://www.skinofglassfilm.com/
  • Social Media
  • Director
    Denise Zmekhol
  • Screenwriter
    Ellen Bruno
  • Producer
    Elizabeth King, Jamie Wolf, Nancy Blachman
  • Co-Producer
    Amir Soltani, Leah Mahan, Richard O'Connell, Nathalie Seaver
  • Editor
    Josh Peterson
  • Composer
    Beto Villares