as to not die in these places (2024)

"as to not die in these places" is a documentary about Brazilian Queer immigration in Portugal. Marginal and dissident subjectivities are presented in a film that combines performativity with reflections on invisibility, resistance, and freedom.

Director Biography

Márcia Bellotti, 1981, is a Brazilian visual artist, master with a merit scholarship in "Cinema and Audiovisual" at UCP, Porto, post-graduated in "Visual Arts" at SENAC-Rio and bachelor in "Design" at UFRJ. Currently, with the artist Luiza Porto, she integrates the duo of contemporary artistic practices PORTO + BELLOTTI.

Artistic residencies include: Arte Institute, Lisboa, Portugal (2015), “Open Studio Cidadela Art District”, Cascais, Portugal (2016), Fundação Bienal de Cerveira, Cerveira, Portugal (2016) e “Cru Creative Hub”, Porto, Portugal (2023).

Solo Exhibitions:

“Cartografias da Ausência”, CRU, Porto; “Ensaios Sobre a Intimidade”, MUTE Gallery, Lisboa; "A Correspondência Arbitrária das Cores", MUTE Gallery, Lisboa e "Entre camadas, silêncio", at galeria da Casa da Cultura dos Olivais, Lisboa, Portugal, “A Resistência dos Vagalumes”, CRU Gallery, Porto.

Group Exhibitions:

“I Mostra de Imagem em Movimento”, Casa França-Brasil (RJ); “O Que Vem com a Aurora”, Casa Triângulo Gallery (SP); "Calendário", Instalação, Objeto sonoro , at "Feminista presente, hoje e sempre", Earlymade Gallery, Porto, Portugal.

Awards:

"Panorama Internacional de Design - Safety Nest", Centro Cultural dos Correios, RJ; "Um Minuto para Lady Elizeth", Festival Claro Curtas Awards; "Vermelho" Best short at Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival, USA; “Re-Existências”, honorable mentionat Student World Impact Film Festival, New Jersey, EUA.

Official Selections include:

“Porto/Post/Doc: Film & Media Festival”, Portugal; “FUSO Open Call”, Portugal; "Vienna Independent Shorts", Austria; “Risco Cinema – Brasil Experimental Contemporâneo”, Cinemateca MAM, RJ, Brasil; "Festival Mix Brasil" Brasil; "Leeds Queer Film Festival", UK; "Feminist and Queer Int’l Film Festival", Romania; “Visões Periféricas”, Brasil; "Pride Pictures Lesbisch-Schwule Filmtage", Germany; "Meta Queerfest", Belarus; "Rio Festival de Gênero e Sexualidade", Brasil; Brasil; Fringe Queer Film and Arts Festival, UK; "Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival" USA; "Mostra Todos os Gêneros", Itaú Cultural, Brasil; “Festival Feminista do Porto - Shorcutz” Portugal; "North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival" USA.

Director Statement

The main focus of my artwork is to promote a questioning on gender issues, the way we were raised, our culture (western contemporary), the limits that were imposed on us throughout history and the binary domestication of our bodies and experiences. My projects are fundamentally based on the intense exchange between the artist and the common individual's vulnerabilities and desires.

These art projects involve the exploration of gender identity, sexuality and personal freedom converging photography, videoarts, sculptures, paintings and performances.

Through public ads I invite unknown volunteers to share stories of their intimate experiences and desires. The documentation of those encounters and the spontaneous dialogues that come forth are used as raw material for my research. I analyze, reorganize and manipulate the storylines, revealing untold tales of the ordinary human through a visual manifesto of personal freedom. The process of meeting the common individual, immersing in their universe and documenting their stories is as important to the project as the outcome artistic creations.