Serraria, 80 & 52 min, est. release 2028

Two hundred kilometers from the bustling metropolis of São Paulo is the island of Ilhabela, where the tiny caiçara community of Serraria is fighting to maintain their way of life. A mix of African, Indigenous, and settler roots, caiçaras have inhabited Brazil’s southeastern coast for centuries, relying on artisanal fishing for their livelihood. With similar communities uprooted by the growth of tourism in the region, a caiçara filmmaker reflects on his own family’s displacement and documents Serraria’s dogged resistance.

Directors: Ricardo Imakawa, Matias Borgström
Producers (Brazil): Matias Borgström & Ricardo Imakawa (Salga Filmes), Paula Pripas (Filmes de Abril)
Co-Producer (Japan): Emi Ueyama (Article Films)
Co-producer (Canada): Marc Serpa Francoeur (Lost Time Media)

Produced with support from the São Paulo State Department of Culture

Presented at the IDFA Forum 2025, MIRADAS Afroindígenas 2025, and #LINK:RIO 2025