15+ YA drama (LGBTQ)
Following the death of her beloved great-aunt, 13-year-old Joana grows curious about family secrets. How could her aunt have lived to age 70 without dating anyone? Joana begins an investigation in the provincial Brazilian and uncovers stories about three generations of women in her life. Joana explores their related experiences of love and physical intimacy as mysteries, full of clues but not entirely solvable. At the same time, Joana and her friends are enmeshed in their own coming of age mysteries, starting the awkward path to self-discovery. Coming up against her provincial community’s limited views and oppressions against women’s sexuality, Joana begins to explore new truths and pathways ahead. The second feature from Brazilian writer and filmmaker Christiane Oliveira, The First Death of Joana is an important story about gender and sexuality for young people exploring conflicting community values, desires, and their rights to love with freedom.
Director Biography
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Cristiane Oliveira is a producer, writer and director. She has directed the short films “Messalina” (2004) and “Guests” (2009) and the features Mulher do Pai (2016), The First Death of Joana (2021) and the forthcoming Ensemble (2022).
Sponsors
