The documentary Free Motherhood tells the stories of motherhood inside and outside of prison through the perspective of five women whose lives have been marked by the selectivity of the criminal justice system in Brazil. Currently, 63% of women in prison in the country are black and only 34% of them have completed primary school. The vast majority, 64%, are convicted of trafficking, a crime without victims and without violence. On the other side of punishment, we have the children who need their mothers for their full development, especially in early childhood. The film shows that securing the relationship between mothers and their children is always the best decision.

Created by IDDD, the Free Mothers project allowed Institute associates and associates to provide legal assistance to mothers and pregnant women imprisoned in the Women’s Penitentiary of Pirajuí, between 2017 and 2018. The objective: to enforce the Legal Framework for Early Childhood Care and provoke the Judiciary to look at the perverse effects of female incarceration. This is how the documentary also appears, showing how mothers who have gone through prison or are still in prison deal with some of its consequences.

• Best Director and Best Social Awareness Award – Revolution Me Film Festival 2022
• Official Selection – Venice Film and Human Rights Festival 
• Official Selection – Arts X SDGs International Film Festival