Bixa Travesty

Co-directed by Claudia Priscilla and Kiko Goifman, this documentary is a portrait of the Brazilian musician and performance artist Linn da Quebrada. Linn uses her own body on stage as a direct instrument; her songs are built on gender, race and class, and she states none of it obliquely. The film sets stage recordings alongside private moments. The condition of her body after cancer treatment, conversations with friends in a bathroom and life in the outer neighbourhoods of Sao Paulo all sit on the same plane. The documentary makes no attempt to construct a career narrative. The strongest passages are the conversations between Linn and Jup do Bairro. The two speak directly about how they name their travesti identity, what that means in Brazil and the risk of violence. It won the Teddy Award at the Berlinale. Who it's for: those interested in queer cinema, Brazilian music and performance art. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with explicit sexuality and nudity; the film uses both as a central means of expression.