"Fireflies in the Dark"
BRAZIL, 4k, 80min, Hibridy, Portuguese
Production Company: ICIMM, Toco Filmes, Ágora Produções
Coproduction: Taquary Filmes
In a small Brazilian town preparing its annual Passion Play, a new director casts a Black TV star as Jesus. His presence disrupts local traditions and provokes resistance — especially from the white actor who played Jesus the year before. As rehearsals unfold amid tension, gossip and faith, the two actors develop an unexpected bond, turning a sacred ritual into a rebellious performance about race, legacy and redemption.
Tiago A. Neves is a Brazilian filmmaker whose work focuses on collaboration, territory, and social engagement. His recent short films include Quitéria (2019), awarded Best Paraíba Short at Fest Aruanda and selected for the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival, and Remoinho (2019), which screened at major Brazilian festivals such as Festival de Gramado, Mostra de Cinema de Tiradentes, and CineOP-MG, winning nine awards at Curta Taquary.
Tiago is the creator of several initiatives aimed at fostering independent and peripheral cinema in Brazil. He founded Cine Teste, a collaborative network for filmmakers, producers, and screenwriters; Hora Curta, promoting community-based filmmaking in the outskirts; and is one of the creators of the Movimento Cinema Instantâneo, which produced over 21 short films in just one year. He also coordinates FestCiMM – Festival de Cinema no Meio do Mundo and CiMM – Cinema no Meio do Mundo, focused on film production across diverse territories and the collective sharing of technical and poetic expertise.
Audiovisual producer, curator and director of the festivals Curta Taquary, Poesia na Tela and Criancine. He studied “Film script” and “Curatorship, management and network of film festivals” at EICTV (Cuba). He has worked in the audiovisual industry since 2005 in the development, dissemination and production of short and feature films and TV productions. He has produced works shown in more than 100 national and international festivals and exhibitions, including: Cannes, Biarritz (France), Busan (South Korea), Havana (Cuba), Brasília (DF), Gramado (RS) and Tiradentes (MG). He collaborated with the curatorship of the international festivals: Thessaloniki LGBTQIFF (Greece), LABRFF (USA), Hacelo Corto (Argentina), Antofadocs and Muestra Polo Sur (Chile). It works on reforestation and recovery of deforested areas in the Caatinga, Brejo de altitude and Mata Atlântica biomes, in addition to restoring riparian forests on the Capibaribe River.
