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Apocalypse in the Tropics film image; several men leaning into another one and pointing at something

Apocalypse in the Tropics

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An Academy Award nominee for Edge of Democracy, Petra Costa returns with a fascinating take on how the Evangelical movement has taken Brazil by storm over recent decades, to the point that one third of the population now identifies that way. With this surge in popularity comes political power, and preachers have been quick to flex. The religious right worked hand in hand with one of their own, President Jair Bolsonaro, to eradicate constitutional barriers between Church and State and when left wing candidate (and former President) Lula won reelection in 2023, denied the results and attempted a populist coup. (Any resemblance to events in the United States are purely coincidental.)

Costa gets remarkable access to televangelist Silas Malafaia, a close ally of Bolsonaro who evidently loves being on camera and remains completely unabashed about his influence, no matter that Bolsonaro’s disregard to Covid-19 science doomed the country to log the second highest death toll in the world. Equally interesting is the back story here: how Henry Kissinger sounded the alarm about socialist Catholic elements in Latin America, and the new “Christ and Capitalism” fundamentalism espoused by Billy Graham took root.

This riveting and enlightening film proves an essential view of history in the making.

Pat Mullen, POV magazine

Director

Petra Costa

Credits
Country of Origin

Brazil/USA/Denmark

Year

2025

Language

In English and Portugese with English subtitles

19+
110 min

Book Tickets

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Credits

Screenwriter

Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino, David Barker, Nels Bangerter, Tina Baz

Cinematography

João Atala, Murilo Salazar, Pedro Urano

Editor

Nels Bangerter, David Barker, Tina Baz, Jordana Berg, Eduardo Gripa, Cao Guimarães, Bruno Lasevicius, Victor Miaciro

Original Music

Rodrigo Leão

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