Ouvidor

About the film

Ouvidor in São Paulo is the largest artist squat in South America. 120 artists transformed the 13-storey building into a colourful breeding ground for graffiti artists, theatre makers and activists. The diverse group of anti-capitalists and anarchists, born from a shared struggle against the shortage of living and working space, must find ways to bridge their differences. Director Matias Borgström paints an honest picture of this struggle. He shows the many conversations and arguments that arise from ‘horizontal participation’, a more direct form of democracy. In addition, negotiations with the police and the neighbourhood, and the constant threat of eviction, put further pressure on the community. Despite these obstacles, Ouvidor is a playful and creative documentary that explores the possibility of an alternative community.