The Morrinho project, installed in the Pereira da Silva favela (in the Laranjeiras neighborhood, south of Rio), was born to "challenge the popular perception of the Brazilian favelas", showing that the favela is an area of ​​great cultural and social wealth, not only violence.

 

The history of the NGO began in 1997, when the young Nelcirlan Souza de Oliveira, only 14 years old, began to reproduce the favela scenario using bricks and other recyclable materials. The play caught the attention of other youngsters and gave rise to a small scale model, which measures today 350 square meters and adorns the scenery of Pereira da Silva. Using carts, little figures and other objects, the inhabitants of the favela and all the details of the streets were also reproduced.

 

Delighted by the small and careful work of art, the film directors Fábio Gavião and Markão Oliveira saw there a great story asking to be told by their own authors. That was when a series of audiovisual workshops began, in 2001, with teaching of camera techniques and video editing, among other modules. This initiative was born Tv Morrinho, an audiovisual producer whose short films and documentaries, both copyrighted and commissioned by companies, have already gone through festivals in Latin America, Europe and several Brazilian cities. Other NGO projects include Turismo no Morrinho (guided visits to the model) and Morrinho Social (with classes in English, photography and recreational activities with a focus on citizenship and art-education).