Rising Sun Blues is a film built upon the encounter and joint filmic creation of two women. In it, they share and witness personal stories while exchanging certain techniques of their respective crafts: sex work and filmmaking. In this scenario, both simultaneously become filmmakers and characters.

Production notes

Maria Roxo is a former sex worker, who in her sixties meets aspiring filmmaker Renata Ferraz. Renata has been searching for a sex worker for her movie – not to be the object of voyeurism or a token of authenticity, but to be a co-creator. The idea is for Renata to teach Maria about filmmaking and for Maria to teach Renata about selling herself.

Whether purposely or not, this mutual mentorship begins to work like glue. What begins as a somewhat clumsy dialogue turns into a friendship and such intimate sharing that the viewer is at times left wondering if what was just said was really meant for the audience to hear.

Minna Saarinen (translated by Mira Sairanen)

The director Renata Ferraz is present in the screening on Fri, Feb 3.