Synopsis
Virginia is a 43-year-old transgender woman who works as a community health agent in Guarulhos, Brazil. The film follows a day in her life, marked by the exhaustion of work, but also by meaningful encounters, dreams, and, above all, the need to live – and resist.
Director Biography – Mari Penteado and Eduardo Campos
Mari Penteado is a psychologist specialized in Gender and Sexuality. who also studied cinema, psichology and ethics. They participated in the production of the podcast “Passagem Só de Ida” (One Way Ticket) a project that shares the stories of LGBTQIAPN+ individuals from Brazil and abroad who migrated to São Paulo or passed through the city at some point in their lives. “Vingança” is their first film production. They have co-directed and written the screenplay.
Eduardo Campos has a long trajectory studying cinema. He is a transgender man and a member of two important cultural collective organizations in Guarulhos – São Paulo: Coletivo Kinoférico, founded in 2015, which is responsible for offering free film workshops in the city’s periphery, and Cineclube Incinerante, which has been organizing Mostra de Cinema Guarulhense, a film festival in Guarulhos, for 10 years. He has participated in the production of several short films. In 2019, he co-directed “Dias de Glória” (Days of Glory). In the area of sound production, he has done significant work on music videos and institutional videos in collaboration with partners such as SESC. He has also worked as a sound director on the short films “Amor Eterno” (Eternal Love) and “Obrigada” (Thank You) and as a sound assistant on the short films “Neo-Brazyl”, “Rouxinol”, and “Contando Aviões” (Counting Planes). The latter has been featured at both national and international festivals, such as the Rio Festival, Dublin International Film Festival, and Locarno International Film Festival.
In Brazil, the life expectancy for trans people is just 35.
Having lived beyond that, we found ourselves drawn to a question: what comes after survival? What does it mean to age as a trans person—to live, to work, to love, and to grow older, when not all of us are allowed to?
Cinema has long erased trans lives or flattened us into dehumanizing stereotypes. In response, we set out to create an intimate portrait shaped by trans people on screen and behind the scenes — one that affirms our complexity, tenderness, and power.
Vingança (Revenge) is our first film. It tells the story of Virgínia, a 43-year-old trans woman who works as a community health agent. She is played by Renata Carvalho, one of Brazil’s most important actresses and a groundbreaking force in trans representation.
Cinematographically, we center Virgínia — literally and emotionally. The camera holds her with care, refusing to let her be pushed aside. Inspired by contemporary Brazilian independent cinema, especially the works of Filmes de Plástico, we crafted a visual language built on contrast: the harsh, exhausting exterior world rendered in cold tones, and the warmth of affection in intimate spaces. It’s between hardship and intimacy that we locate resilience.
Revenge is a dream of justice for trans people. It is our way of honoring those who came before us, standing with those who live alongside us, and imagining those yet to come.
May our lives not just survive, but be lived and celebrated.