FGV CPDOC holds documentary screening on the relationship between culture and mental health

Researchers and artists from Manguinhos gathered on September 24 at the headquarters of Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro for the screening of the documentary Coisa de Favela. The film is the outcome of a scientific research conducted in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and Queen Mary University of London, through the Laboratory of Studies and Research in Mental Health and Psychosocial Care (LAPS) and People’s Palace Projects (PPP). The project aims to investigate how cultural activities can contribute to the mental health of the population. 

According to the project coordinator at FGV, Sílvia Monnerat, the research arose from the need to consider culture as a promoter of health. “In its broader concept, health is not merely the absence of disease. It involves more complex factors, such as socioeconomic and cultural aspects, which directly impact individual well-being, especially in contexts of social vulnerability,” she explained. 

The project began with an open data research on the internet in 2022, aimed at mapping cultural activities in the Complexo de Manguinhos. Located in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, this area consists of about 12 communities, houses approximately 40,000 residents, and has one of the five lowest Human Development Indexes (HDI) in the city, with high rates of social vulnerability and urban violence. 

However, the area is also characterized by strong community organization and cultural initiatives that promote care, resistance, and local protagonism. Throughout the project, over 40 initiatives were identified, leading to the catalog "Cultural Strategies in Manguinhos: Perspectives on Care in Mental Health and the Protagonism of Favela Residents." 

During the event's opening, Monnerat emphasized that the methodology used in the cultural activities survey is already being replicated by research institutions in Colombia, Guatemala, and Bolivia, with the same goal of assessing the impacts of culture on mental health. 

Fiocruz researcher, Paulo Amarante, also attended the screening and highlighted the transformative role of culture. “Cultural initiatives allow people to protect themselves, organize, and collectively defend themselves. Culture has the power to lift the individual from suffering and create life,” remarked the project's coordinator at Fiocruz. 

Amarante also emphasized the innovative approach of the research. “For a long time, the academic field operated as an external observer that extracts and publishes knowledge. Thus, we opted for a participatory, non-extractive methodology. The idea was to construct knowledge alongside the territories, respecting their experiences and insights.” 

After the screening of the documentary, the film's director Franciele Campos discussed the film's development, and researchers and students participated in a debate with artists from Manguinhos about the research findings and the relationships between academia and local cultural agents. Present at the event were writer Celeste Estrela and cultural mobilizer Cátia Nascimento, who recited poetry and sang for the audience. 

The film received an Exceptional Merit Award at the International Documentaries without Borders Festival and was selected for the Toronto International Women's Film Festival. Already released with resources for sign language interpretation, audio description, and subtitles in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, Coisa de Favela will soon be available on YouTube. 

You can watch the trailer through this link.