Resilience — Mindset that pushes limits & functionality

“The first award in the category of documentary film "Resilience" directed by Ricardo Koanuka for his portrayal of the hero: his energy, joy of life and ordinary human wisdom”

“— Resilience means resistance. Meanwhile, they worked with the film, Christina Wallin and Ricardo Koanuka follow Meia Lua's every-day experiences closely. Together they have transformed his story to film. Synchronicity means that coincidence has a meaning; the word is tattooed on the arm of Ricardo Koanuka. Ricardo himself grew up in Brazil but with a different reality in the middle class, and got to know Meia Lua after a teacher invited him to lecture at the university: — No one understood why we became friends. But I was looking for something within me that this guy had, and I felt I must learn from him. They have a common passion for the Brazilian martial art capoeira. — He gave me something no one else has given me, and I felt it was my responsibility to convey that feeling to others. — For me, the story was about not letting you be limited. To be active and challenge your circumstances instead of taking for granted that you are going to use a wheelchair or put on prosthesis when it might rather hinder, says Christina. ”

“After the fatal mistake by a doctor paralyzes Meia Lua in both legs, who lives in a shanty town in Brazil. This new reality is hard for Meia Lua to come to terms with and he struggles with strong feelings of shame and low self-esteem. With time, he realizes that what really paralyzes him is his attitude – and the wheelchair. Through hard training, he develops his own unique way to get around in and he decides furthermore to be champion in capoeira. But there exists a thing Meia Lua still has to struggle for – to provide a home for his son.”

“Meia Lua got his nickname (half-moon) because his smile glows in the dark. He lives in one of Brazil’s favelas' and climbs the steep hills there, walking on all four with Havaianas' on his hands. Nothing is allowed to get in the way of his dream of living together with his son.
- Maja Kekonius”

“...Sidney was born without disabilities, however, at ten months of age, when applying him an injection in the spine, he becames paralyzed. Over time, he developed a walking technique, became capoeira master and street artist. "He's a guy full of energy who never feels limited or decreased. Stories like that inspires me. This is a job we did with much love. Our goal was to show that, despite all the difficulties experienced by Sidney, he managed to transform his reality. What made me write and shoot his story was just that, the fact that he transforms all the negativity in your favor, says the filmmaker. City of Africa. The documentary also shows the streets of Salvador, sights such as Pelourinho and Mercado Modelo, the Sao Joaquim and São Caetano, following the routine work of the character, who travels on buses from the capital with his performance of singing. We have come to town to tell the story of Sidney, a story of resilience and inclusion, which makes us very proud. In addition, the doc is also a milestone for Bahia as a state to reach out. In addition to the sights, we show the city as it is, a savior that no one sees, our baianidade and especially the African part of Bahia...”

“...The film, which deals with the life of Sidney Santos, also known as Meia Lua (Half Moon), portrays the power of capoeira in the social inclusion process.. Filmed in Salvador and edited in Sweden, "Resilience" took four years to complete and will be presented in several international festivals such as the Göteborg Film Festival (Gothenburg, Sweden), the Film Festival Tempo (Stockholm, Sweden) and Picture This Film Festival (Calgary, Canada). "We got support from the Swedish government, which believed in the idea, and financial support in order to realize this project. We intend to bring Meia Lua to attend some of these festivals in Europe, "says Koanuka...”

“Ricardo Koanuka presents his documentary....”

“Brazilian living in Sweden starts world tour with the documentary Resilience... Documentary - 27 minutes long, Resilience was shot in Salvador, between the years 2012 and 2014, with editing and finishing in Sweden last year, and had the support of producer Christina Wallin. The doc tells the story of a man who, despite all the real difficulties that life has imposed faced all obstacles with resilience.”

“The Brazilian-Swedish director of the documentary Resilience A Documentary, Ricardo Koanuka, is screening the movie for invited, now when he is in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil at Ciranda Café and at V Festival Internacional De Capoeiragem at Forte da Capoeira..”

“Baiano based in Malmö, Sweden, Ricardo Koanuka will come to Salvador to launch the documentary Resilience, in January 2016. The short film of 28 minutes filmed in the city, tells the story of Sydney Santos, known as half Moon, who, without being able to walk, became capoeira master. “A medical error caused a paralyzation in his legs,” Ricardo says. “He went through a long period of suffering. But with persistence, he developed a locomotion technique, using arms and legs and hands and feet. ” Ricardo Koanuka get financial support from Malmö city council for the documentary. The idea came when he was in college in Salvador. “I studied physical education. In a class, the teacher said we would receive a visit from a special person. It was Meia Lua. I thought, “This man has something to teach me,” he recalls. The shooting of the movie began 4 years ago. "I invited a Swedish producer, Christina Wallin, to join the project.” The director plans to screen Resilience also in Sweden and Canada..”

“Ricardo Koanuka, a Director from Bahia, Brazil, naturalized Swedish, and the producer Christina Wallin, with cultural encouragement from the Swedish government came to Bahia to film the documentary Resilience. It portrays the life of master Meia Lua, a capoeirista who became disabled at 2 years of age and today is an example for all, of overcoming trials and tribulations.”