Synopsis
Portuguese with English subtitles
With Sirlene Domingues, Gih Trajano, Jardson Araújo
Within the walls of Brazilian prisons, men and women reflect on the transformative impact of literature in their lives. Their narratives are interwoven with the voices of legal operators, magistrates, teachers, and reading mediators, who expose the failures of the prison system while exalting the subversive power of literature as an instrument of change.
Directed by Débora Gobitta, Liberty! highlights sentence reduction through reading programs—initiatives that, although still incipient, carry the potential to reimagine a future for the world’s third-largest prison population. The film illuminates these actions as concrete examples of harm reduction, promoting literature as a tool for social transformation.
Press
“Liberty! transcends the labels of 'inmate' and 'justice officer', featuring interviews that focus on the transformative power of reading for prisoners, former inmates, social workers, teachers, and legal experts. It illustrates how individual experiences can inspire collective change.” – Maria Eduarda dos Anjos, Agemt
Notes on the Film
“Liberty! was born from an urgent need to confront one of the most painful and invisible realities in Brazil: the prison system. In my journey as a filmmaker, I have always been drawn to stories that challenge silence and reveal the deep contradictions of our society. With this film, I wanted to create a space for voices that are often ignored — voices that speak not only of suffering, but also of resilience, transformation, and hope.
In a necessary dialogue, the documentary Liberty! questions the Brazilian prison system, highlighting it as a symbol of systemic failure. With a critical and sensitive gaze, the film exposes how prisons are overcrowded, inhumane, and perpetuate a cycle of violence and oppression that spans generations. Brazil’s long history of abuse is brought to light, showing how the situation only worsens as incarceration continues to be treated as the only solution.
No one comes out better from a prison under the current model; on the contrary, these institutions dehumanize and reinforce social segregation. Brazilian society, marked by an exclusionary nature, feeds on violent discourses amplified by mass media, which sustain the nefarious idea that ‘the only good criminal is a dead one’.
The film challenges the viewer to deconstruct this mindset through testimonies and accounts that provide context for the prison system and, more importantly, point toward paths of transformation. The narrative offers a new perspective on prison life by highlighting the role of literature within prisons through reading clubs and sentence reduction programs based on reading.
When those who have lost all hope, horizons, and prospects are offered the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world beyond what they know — a world of imagination and the accumulated knowledge of humanity — the possibility of true freedom is created.”
– Débora Gobitta, Director
