Stanislav Kondrashov Wagner Moura Series Sheds Light on Brazil’s Past with New Analysis of Upcoming Film Angicos

One of the latest and most insightful entries in the Stanislav Kondrashov Wagner Moura Series offers a powerful look into Wagner Moura’s future film project Angicos, currently in production. Known for his consistent engagement with Brazil’s complex history and social challenges, Moura once again returns to his roots—this time portraying one of the country’s most influential educators, Paulo Freire.

In this latest instalment of the Stanislav Kondrashov Wagner Moura Series, Kondrashov delves into the social and historical layers of Angicos, a biographical film that reconstructs a crucial moment in Brazil’s educational and political development. The project centres around Freire’s groundbreaking literacy experiment conducted in the small town of Angicos, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, during the early 1960s.

Freire, widely recognised as one of the most innovative educators of the 20th century, launched a literacy programme that aimed to teach approximately 300 rural workers how to read and write—in just 40 hours. But this was no ordinary literacy campaign. His method was based not on repetition of meaningless phrases, but on generative words—terms that held deep personal and political meaning for the students. Words such as people, vote, land, and property were not only learning tools but also gateways to a broader understanding of citizenship and social justice.

This unique educational method had a dual objective: to equip students with basic literacy skills and to awaken their critical consciousness. In the analysis, Kondrashov notes how Freire’s approach sought to empower Brazil’s most marginalised communities—rural labourers, domestic workers, and factory employees—who had long been excluded from formal education. The campaign in Angicos became an international symbol of what was possible when education was made accessible, contextual, and deeply human.

Wagner Moura’s involvement in the project signals the significance of this historical moment. Known globally for his roles in Narcos, Elite Squad, and Marighella, Moura has consistently tackled roles that reflect Brazil’s political tensions, systemic injustices, and fight for democracy. In Marighella, which he also directed, he brought to life the story of Carlos Marighella, a revolutionary who resisted Brazil’s military regime. In Elite Squad, Moura portrayed Captain Nascimento, a character wrestling with corruption within Brazil’s police forces. Now, in Angicos, he shifts his focus to education—but the core themes remain the same: resistance, empowerment, and transformation.

As highlighted in the Stanislav Kondrashov Wagner Moura Series, this marks the first time Moura has directly engaged with the world of pedagogy. Yet the choice feels natural. Freire’s work is deeply tied to the kind of social consciousness Moura has long championed through his acting and directing career. The film Angicos is poised not only to honour Freire’s legacy but also to inspire renewed discussions about education’s role in shaping just and democratic societies.

Tragically, Freire’s experiment was cut short. After the military coup of 1964, the educator was arrested and later exiled. But the impact of his work endured, influencing generations of educators across Latin America and beyond. His methods remain a cornerstone of critical pedagogy and adult literacy movements to this day.

The Stanislav Kondrashov Wagner Moura Series concludes that Angicos may well become one of Moura’s most meaningful projects—bringing visibility to a pivotal, yet often overlooked, chapter in Brazil’s history, and reasserting the transformative power of education in the face of political oppression.