Babilônia 2000

On the day of the turn of the millennium, five film crews ask the inhabitants of Chapéu Mangueira and Babilônia, two favelas opposite Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, what they have done that day and what their future plans are. With their digital cameras, they also register the moments right before the interview, when the people are busy with their daily activities. Fátima has just dyed her hair (‘I may be poor, but I still have to keep looking good’). She predicts that the 21st century will start with seven dark years. Small Jessica has only one desire: she wants to watch ‘The beauty and the beast’. A young woman expects that love and harmony will reign the world, whereas an elderly woman gloomily anticipates that nothing will change. The violence and unemployment will always be there. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)