Director’s Statement

I met Paola during Carnival 2006 in Olinda. In the midst of people partying in the streets, she kept walking through with huge bags full of cans on her head. She was extremely focused on her task and seemed untiring. She was also very different from the other people collecting recyclable trash, showing none of the defeat that generally clouds people living in harsh deficiency. I became curious and approached her.

I had been looking for my next documentary subject, not knowing exactly what it would be. Paola was easy to meet, and upon talking, I found her story and attitude towards life extraordinary. She readily agreed to a documentary about her. Yet she was not interested in fame and very unselfconscious about the whole process. She hopes her life might serve as an example; that with energy and intent and resourcefulness, one can improve their situation.

She was extremely welcoming. We filmed her for about a month at different times in her house as well as during her work collecting recyclable trash. Her home is in a favela in the outskirts of Olinda. Though it wasn't a very dangerous shantytown, we had to stop bringing our equipment there after a few times. Paola thought that by then everybody in her neighborhood knew about our project and somebody might try to steal our camera.

We came back to Olinda eight months later and Paola was in a very different state. She had suffered a harsh season - many people around her had been ill or had children involved with drugs and in jail. She herself had some misadventures. She was still undeterred in her focus to find ways to feed her family, but was occasionally wavering under the pressure.

We stayed for another month, filming her on several occasions. When we came back we decided to edit a first chapter of Paola's story and make the short documentary 'Paola or The Art of Survival'.

I recently visited Paola. Things have again radically changed in her life and we are considering doing a follow-up on her story.