Amira Barrett is a third-year Spelman College Documentary Film major of Jamaican descent. She has been making narrative and documentary films for the past three years. Amira aspires to be an industry-renowned screenwriter, film director, and actress.

Dir. Statement: I want to change people, teach people and live forever. Film allows me to do just that.

Caroline Reucker, born 1985, is a freelance filmmaker, director, producer and author. Her films are characterized by an empathetic, open attitude and allow insights into strange, unknown realities of life.

At first Caroline wanted to learn the practical aspects used in filmmaking and trained as a "media designer for image and sound". On the side, she began to produce smaller, documentary films on her own. Since she is responsible for the camera and sound herself, she manages to capture unique, intimate moments.

At the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg she learned about the great many ways of storytelling in documentaries. It was then that she developed her own cinematic style.

Dir. Statement

I believe that all people have similar wishes and dreams, but that not everyone is given the same opportunities in life because of their origins and skin color.

The film aims to convey what it is like to be an independent black woman fighting against everyday difficulties and discrimination and to look with more respect and appreciation at the performance of Egili and the many artists, helpers and workers in the carnival.

"Negritude" and racism are currently a much-discussed topic in Brazil. Even within the carnival, there is a debate about the representation and position of black people. What is a central topic for Egili was completely new to me. "Colorismo", i.e. discrimination based on different degrees of skin color, certainly plays a role if you want to be recognized in the carnaval-society, as I learned from Egili.

Carnival means, above all, hard work. I was amazed at how much Egili has to do on her own and how much is expected of her. She is a lone fighter and shows impressive perseverance in overcoming daily difficulties. Egili can muster incredible energy that manages to inspire and has the power to tell the story of many women in Brazil.