Eliza Capai

Eliza Capai is an independent documentary filmmaker who focuses on social issues. She is especially interested in amplifying voices from marginalized sectors of society in order to foster empathy in audiences. Thinking about creative modes of production, narration, and distribution are also priorities in her work. Her first feature, Here Is So Far (71', 2013), is based on encounters with women during a seven-month trip in Africa. In its premiere at New Trends at Rio International Film Festival, the documentary was awarded Best Feature. It was also awarded Best Documentary at 9 Brasil Cine in Scandinavia (Sweden), Best Cinematography at Salón Internacional de la Luz (Colombia), and Best Script at Festival International de Cine Independiente de Bahía Blanca (Argentina), and it received multiple awards in Brazilian festivals. Her second movie, The Tortoise and the Tapir (72', 2016), investigates the gigantic hydroelectric plants built and planned in the middle of the Amazon forest during Brazil's worst drought in decades. Capai's latest film, "Your turn" (Espero tua (re)volta), is about the student takeover of schools in response to educational budget cuts in Brazil. It premiered in Berlinale (2019) where it received two awards: International Amnesty Prize and Peace Prize. Eliza is a fellow at MIT OpenDocLab.