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FAVELA TOUR

By Robson DIAS

Documentary - Development 2026

A filmmaker returns to the favela where he grew up, this time as a tourist, to question the ethical dilemmas of voyeuristic tourism. An insider's look at exploitation, identity, and belonging.

Festivals
& Awards

Figra 2023

Selection oficielle

- Year of production
- 2026
- Genres
- Documentary
- Countries
- BRAZIL, FRANCE
- Languages
- BRAZILIAN-PORTUGUESE, ENGLISH
- Budget
- 0.3 - 0.6 M$
- Duration
- 90 mn
- Director(s)
- Robson DIAS
- Producer(s)
- Tom PINHEIRO (ORI IMAGEM E SOM PRODUÇÃO CINEMATOGRÁFICA LTDA), Ailton PINHEIRO JUNIOR (ORI IMAGEM E SOM PRODUÇÃO CINEMATOGRÁFICA LTDA)
- Synopsis
- "Favela Turística" delves into the heart of Rocinha, one of Latin America's largest favelas, to confront an increasingly normalized phenomenon: tourism in marginalized territories. The film adopts an intimate perspective—that of the director himself, who returns to the community where he grew up, now posing as a tourist—to reflect on the ethical and emotional dilemmas inherent in this market.
  
  How did the favela become a tourist destination? Who profits from these visits? And what do the residents think, often portrayed without consent as part of an "exotic landscape"? Through a critical yet sensitive lens, the documentary follows seven individuals occupying diverse roles in the tourism chain: local guides, entrepreneurs, activists, academics, residents, and visitors. Each reveals, in their own way, the complexities and contradictions of a model oscillating between economic opportunity and symbolic exploitation.
  
  Interweaving scenes of actual tours, archival footage, and expert interviews, the film illustrates how favelas have been commodified, while their inhabitants strive to (re)assert their own narratives. The script refrains from labeling villains or heroes but instead prompts viewers to question the very act of looking: does seeing imply involvement? Responsibility?
  
  Filmed between Brazil and France, "Favela Turística" also incorporates perspectives of exile and distance. The director now resides in Europe, and his return to Rocinha serves not only as an emotional reunion but also as a means to observe the impacts of globalization on peripheral territories. By adopting the stance of an "undercover tourist," he challenges the passivity of the foreign gaze and proposes an aesthetic and political reappropriation of one's own image.
  
  The work continues the short film of the same name, showcased on the MAX platform (Warner Bros. Discovery), produced within the context of the "Narrativas Negras Não Contadas" acceleration program.

FAVELA TOUR

Festivals& Awards

Festivals
& Awards