What does Brazilian cinema tell us? What does Brazilian cinema tell us about black actresses and actors? ‘Pressed, Ripped Apart’ makes use of archival sources to retrieve the trajectory of black actresses and actors who, between absences and delimited presences, between the fallacy of a racial democracy – based on the harmony among Brazil’s diverse identities – and erasure of identity, strain the history of Brazilian audiovisual and above all, our own history.

Isabel Vilela is about to fulfill one of her greatest wishes. She’s been married for a year with the cheerful Danilo when she realizes that she’s pregnant on the eve of a romantic trip. Isabel’s professional life is also booming, with financial help from Danilo, she’s about to inaugurate her own architecture firm

After being forced into a marriage and enduring a humiliating work routine in the hands of his father-in-law, Zé Araújo becomes the mythical Ojuara, an unconventional hero devoted to debauchery.

The strange friendship between two men of opposite social classes. Miguel is a senator. His childhood friend Jorge is a major drug-dealer. In the 1970s, they meet in prison: Miguel was there for political reasons, and Jorge, as a common criminal.

When the men go to war, the women also battle. This tale takes place in the XIX century, during a terrible civil war. Italy’s revolutionary leader Garibaldi must choose between two loves: a sweet aristocratic lady or a brave woman who leaves her husband to accompany him into battle. This super-production recounts the saga of women who do not go to war but must bear pain, solitude and new passions while their husbands and fathers fight the battles.

Rio de Janeiro, 1886. A precious Stradivarius violin presented to Emperor Dom Pedro II is stolen. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to solve the case.

The murder of a wealthy couple shocks public opinion, with the eldest son accused of killing his parents. Condemned beforehand by the press, he needs to prove his innocence.

In the struggle for land a vicious feud erupts between two men, who commit their families to a war without truce. Over two generations they are moved by love and by hatred in this epic saga of love for the land.

The story of the rivalry between the twin sisters Ruth and Raquel takes place in the fictional Pontal D'Areia, on the coast of Rio de Janeiro. They have very different personalities. Ruth is sweet, calm and has a good heart. Raquel, on the other hand, is selfish, aggressive and mean.

Pedra Sobre Pedra is a Brazilian telenovela produced by Rede Globo from January 6 to July 31, 1992, with 178 episodes.

Monarchists and Republicans confront themselves in Araruna, a small town in the interior of São Paulo, in 1886, two years before the promulgation of the Golden Law. Sinhá Moça's love story, daughter of Colonel Ferreira, Baron de Araruna, and a slave-boy, with the young Dr. Rodolfo, an active Republican abolitionist, faced with the difficulties of the campaign for the abolition of slaves. The two meet on the train, when Sinhá Moça, after completing her studies in the provincial capital, returns to Araruna. Like Rodolfo, she has abolitionist ideas and criticizes her father's attitudes, fighting for the defense of blacks. Sinhá Moça, together with Rodolfo and other abolitionists, invade the slave quarters at night and liberate the blacks, giving them to the abolitionist associations, which guide them towards freedom.

It tells the story of the Camabará family for many generations, which were fundamental to the social and political formation of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The stories are remembered by Dona Bibiana, who remembers the life of her grandmother Ana, her husband, the Captain Rodrigo, his son Bolivar and his daughter-in-law Luzia.

During the military dictatorship, a political militant takes his son out of the boarding school, and puts him temporarily in a friend's luxury and empty apartment in Copacabana beach. The son knows very little about his father, and the latter cannot really explain his activities to his son, fearing for his security. So the young man stands alone in the huge apartment, waiting for the infrequent meetings with his father, without really knowing what's going on.

Quilombo dos Palmares was a real-life democratic society, created in Brazil in the 17th century. This incredibly elaborate (and surprisingly little-known) film traces the origins of Quilombo, which began as a community of freed slaves. The colony becomes a safe harbor for other outcasts of the world, including Indians and Jews. Ganga Zumba (Toni Tornado) becomes president of Quilombo, the first freely elected leader in the Western Hemisphere. Naturally, the ruling Portuguese want to subjugate Zumba and his followers, but the Quilombians are ready for their would-be oppressors. The end of this Brave New World is not pleasant, but the followers of Zumba and his ideals take to the hills, where they honor his memory to this day. Writer/director Carlos Diegues takes every available opportunity to compare the rise and fall of Quilombo with the state of affairs in modern-day Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro crooks rove about, performing petty tricks to survive, and get involved with a woman who steals cars.

Paulo Otávio is the host of a pirate radio station on the slums of Rio de Janeiro. He struggles to mantain the station working, since the only help he's got comes from news reporter Calói. Their story goes beyond as the city starts to face a crime wave.

This adaptation of a classic Brazilian novel focuses on the relations of charismatic characters within a tenement.

The romanced story of Xica da Silva, a slave that used her "feminine atributes" in order to get power.