Arquivo

Recent numbers show that there are some nine thousand street dwellers today in São Paulo. The majority live in the center of the city. Street dwellers in the area use furniture and objects thrown out by offices and business companies to piece together a home. The film broaches themes such as social exclusion, unemployment, alcoholism, madness, religiosity, contemporary public venues, urban degradation, identity, alterity, citizenship and, as suggested in the title, the loss of an image for these communities which brings on an ethical discussion of the processes that render poverty aesthetic. On the Fringes of São Paulo: Homeless is the first of a series of four films intended to outline the profile of urban Brazil: À Margem do Concreto will concern occupancy; À Margem do Lixo is about scrap paper gatherers, and À Margem do Consumo will show the world of the favela shanty-towns. À Margem da Imagem was awarded the prize for best documentary at the Gramado Festival.