Rio de Janeiro 2014.

Bala Perdida is a documentary that portrays the police state in the favelas. It shows how the people live with continuous violence and with the lack of minimum services like running water, electric showers and primary education. The Brazilian government keeps investing money in military equipment to fight against drug trafficking, but the majority of the people in the communities do not have contact with drugs and are in need of opportunities.

As a message of hope, this film is told through volunteers that work with children and women in order to keep them out of drug trafficking.  

Carmen Paixao is a yoga teacher. She started to train adults in a community in the south of Rio de Janeiro, in order to open spaces with more instructors in other communities. She mentored Tiago, Marcia, Bianca and Luano, all of them contributing in this film. They all have their own spaces to work with children, women, people with learning disabilities, people with psychiatric problems and elderly people.

This film was a self-discovery on my journey as a documentary maker. I started the project when I was 21 years old. I had a nex6 Sony camera with two simple lenses and a very cheap zoom recorder. I didn’t have any fear introducing myself inside the communities and finding the stories behind these incredible people. They all have beautiful souls and a tireless energy to protect their communities and make them more habitable.