Told through the collective memories of farmers, students and educators that participated in the “Culture Circles,” where they learned to read and write in 40 hours, the film contains rare archival footage of 1960s Brazil that was recently recovered after being buried for decades. Their innovative method used critical and creative thinking instead of memorization and repetition. By contextualizing and personalizing the lessons, educators used their surroundings to teach vocabulary and construct meaning. Hundreds of Brazilians became literate and were allowed to vote as a consequence, strengthening the blossoming democracy and social movement that was disrupting the colonial structures. After a shocking coup d’état, the farmer’s notebooks were set on fire, and Freire was eventually forced into exile for 16 years, spreading his pedagogy around the globe and impacting democracy and education until today. Today Freire is considered one of the most influential philosophers of education in the 20th century and revered by educators across the world.

Thank you to our screening partners: Eavesdrop Radio and Free Library of Philadelphia.