PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS
A Collaborative Documentary
Conceived and Produced by Peter Lucas
Summer Film Editions
View the Trailer
Campo de Santana, the site where Brazil was declared a Republic, now an astonishingly beautiful park, but almost forgotten, even feared, nestled into the old part of Rio de Janeiro, across the street from the central train station, hedged with countless bus stops, a crossroads for commuters and pedestrians who look warily over their shoulders when they walk from one side to the other. For two months we filmed in this infamous park to evoke the spirit of the place and perhaps, something larger concerning the city of Rio de Janeiro.
The site where Brazil
was declared a Republic
Walking through the park, pedestrians pass hundreds of cats
Walking through the park pedestrians pass hundreds of cats, botanical specimens and exotic trees from all over the world, stunning small lakes with benches everywhere for pause and rest, swans and peacocks holding court, gorgeous historic statues, egrets perched high in the trees, wild ducks wandering by and the infamous rodent-like cutias scampering around the lawns.
Then there are the people who frequent Campo, grouped and huddled in their respective gathering spots. Besides the brave souls who use the park as a shortcut, there are homeless people seeking respite and washing themselves in the lakes, sex workers quietly waiting for clients, prisoners on work release cutting the grass, lonely people struggling with mental disabilities, street-based public health workers and the maintenance crew diligently cleaning the park in their orange jumpsuits, scavengers and wandering vendors, the elderly calmly reading the daily paper, people who come to the park with their radios, sambistas rehearsing around a bottle of cachaca, saints feeding the animals, activists claiming their rightful share of public space, the police sweeping through the park, lost souls hiding from society, preachers and their warnings for the afterlife, and lovers stealing time together in secluded corners.
Activists claiming their rightful share of public space
There is no park in Rio like this place. As one of the prisoners on work release said: This place is like paradise in the middle of chaos. For two months., we documented the park, talking with both regulars and everyday workers. What we found was not exactly Eden nor was the park as dangerous as its reputation, but a complicated place of beauty. Our film Campo de Santana is more than a portrait of a city park, it was a microcosm of the city evoking the joys and fears and the possibilities of Rio de Janeiro.
Not exactly Eden... but a complicated place of beauty
Campo de Santana
Paradise in the Middle of Chaos
A Collaborative Film by:
(Cameras, Sound Recording, Initial Editing)
Michaelle Jean
Peter Lucas
Walter Mesquita
Katie Nixdorf
Morgan Quinn Raspanti
Oscar J. Romero
Production Assistants:
Vinny Dantas
Victor Hugo Liporage
Christophe Nonato
Hanks de Paula
Associate Producers:
Julie Brasil
Luis Lometha
Walter Mesquita
Andre Paz
Felipe Varanda
Editing:
Renato Oliveira
Sound Design
Ben Kruse
Music
Looping Ascent
Joel Cummins
PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS
Conceived and Produced by Peter Lucas
Summer Film Editions
2024 / 99 minutes / DCP / Brazil/USA / Color
In Portuguese with English Subtitles / Documentary