Once Upon a Time...

Synopsis

*Once Upon a Time...* is an anthology documentary series with 13 independent episodes that dives into the popular cultures of Brazil’s Northeast region as expressions of identity and resistance. Each episode blends documentary footage with playful reenactments (shadow theater, puppetry, masks, rock art, finger puppets) to portray traditions such as *cordel*, *maracatu nação*, *toré*, *mamulengo*, and *tambor de crioula*, among others. Featuring appearances by Elba Ramalho, Raimundo Fagner, Falcão, and Zeca Baleiro, the series connects these cultural expressions to themes such as spirituality, oral tradition, education, and racial identity. Directed exclusively by filmmakers from the Northeast — mostly Black women — the show offers an affectionate and political gaze that sees these cultures not as folklore, but as living knowledge of resistance, belonging, and justice, especially for Black and Indigenous peoples and dissident bodies. Each episode takes the audience on a journey through memories, images, and sounds, where tradition and creativity walk hand in hand. By blending the real and the symbolic, testimony and playfulness, the series builds a sensitive, visual narrative that presents popular culture not just as a theme, but as a living language — reinvented in every scene.