A journey to reckon with Brazil’s harsh inequality begins when filmmaker Denise Zmekhol discovers her father’s architectural masterpiece is occupied by hundreds of homeless people.
February 17, 2025
90 minutes
Producer & Director
Syrian-Brazilian director Denise Zmekhol’s films have been awarded for their visual style and deft storytelling. Her film Children of the Amazon, supported by ITVS, aired on PBS. She co-produced the Emmy-winning PBS series Digital Journey and presented the story of her film Skin of Glass at Pop-Up Magazine and a TEDWomen conference.
Co-Producer
Richard O’Connell is an Emmy- and Peabody-winning filmmaker and producer. His film The Corridor broadcast on PBS and won the Critics Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival. In addition to Skin of Glass, he is working on a hybrid documentary about the life of a writer and retired bank robber. O’Connell teaches film at Berkeley City College.
Co-Producer/Writer
Leah Mahan is a documentary director, producer, writer, and teacher. Her work was nominated by the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and aired on PBS’s POV. She served as a Fellow at the Sundance Documentary Editing and Story Lab, Sundance Stories of Change, and as a Research Fellow at the Center for Environmental Filmmaking.
Co-Producer
Amir Soltani is an Iranian-American storyteller and human rights activist. He has worked across media as an author, journalist, and filmmaker. He has also worked in business, nonprofits, and philanthropy, most recently as executive director of the Semnani Family Foundation.