Iracema(1976)

A raw showing of the Transamazonic Road

Iracema is a Brazilian film following a young woman from rural Brazil who travels to Belém for religious celebrations, only to be drawn into prostitution. Desperate to escape her circumstances, she meets a truck driver hauling timber along the Trans-Amazon highway and joins him on a journey toward the wealthier Southeast. The road becomes a window into the brutal realities of the Amazon during Brazil's military dictatorship—documenting deforestation, labor exploitation, and child trafficking. Shot with unflinching honesty, Iracema confronted the Brazilian censors so directly that authorities banned it for years. The film eventually premiered at the 1981 Brasília Film Festival and has since earned recognition at major international festivals for its stark portrayal of social tragedy and environmental destruction.