America ReFramed
Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek
When the graves of former slaves are bulldozed, a man returns to protect the community from urban sprawl, hurricanes, and man-made disaster.
Skin of Glass
A journey to reckon with Brazil’s harsh inequality begins when the filmmaker discovers her father’s architectural masterpiece is now Sao Paulo’s tallest highrise slum.
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- Funding Initiative
- Diversity Development Fund
Producer & Director
Denise Zmekhol
Working on social issue documentaries as well as in commercial arenas, Zmekhol combines a public affairs sensibility with a commercial director’s visual acumen. A Sao Paulo native, Zmekhol studied social communication and journalism in Brazil, and completed her studies in photography, film, and broadcasting at San Francisco State University. Early… Show more
- Other ITVS Films
- Children of the Amazon
Co-Producer/Writer
Leah Mahan
Leah Mahan is an independent documentary filmmaker whose work has been nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. Mahan's film Sweet Old Song (2002) was featured on the PBS series P.O.V. and was selected by film critic Roger Ebert to be screened at his Overlooked Film Festival (“Ebertfest”). She spent a dozen… Show more
- Other ITVS Films
- Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek
- Sweet Old Song
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The Film
When Brazilian-American filmmaker Denise Zmekhol discovers that her late father's most celebrated work as an architect is now São Paulo's largest high-rise slum (known as a favela), she begins a journey to reckon with her past and the harsh inequality transforming the country of her birth. Her quest forces her to face a growing global crisis: one in six people in the world are squatters. The film evolves as a poetic essay on displacement, the concept of home, and the role of architecture in urban life. A modernist icon affectionately known as “Pele de Vidro” (Skin of Glass), the building itself becomes a central character. Roger Zmekhol, a Syrian immigrant to Brazil, was just 32 years old when he designed Pele de Vidro. It was conceived in the vibrant era of Bossa Nova and Cinema Novo, but built in the early days of a dictatorship that would hold power for two decades. The dramatic changes that transform the Pele de Vidro reflect Brazil itself during eras of darkness, transformation, and rebirth. The film builds a searing portrait of a country in crisis through the personal story of a father and daughter and the built environment of São Paulo where their lives, memories, and dreams overlap.
