Joelma 23rd Floor (1979)

Interesting facts

Joelma 23º Andar is a 1980 Brazilian docudrama film directed by Clery Cunha, written by Dulce Santucci, and starring Beth Goulart. The film is based on the work Somos Seis by Chico Xavier, which consists of six stories derived from psychographed letters. Two of the letters are purportedly from young victims of the Joelma Building fire, which took place in São Paulo on February 1, 1974. It is considered Brazil's first spiritist-themed film.

Production

At the time of the film's production, director Clery Cunha was already known for having worked in the Boca do Lixo film district since the 1960s. Previously, he had directed the dramas Os Desclassificados (1972) and A Pequena Órfã (1973), as well as the pornochanchada Pensionato de Mulheres (1974). The film is one of the rare productions from Boca do Lixo that did not include erotic scenes.

Joelma 23º Andar was partially filmed around the actual building in 1979, shortly after its extensive renovation, but permission to film inside was not granted. Consequently, the interior scenes were shot in a three-story building of a deactivated factory in the Tatuapé neighborhood of São Paulo.

At the time of the film's release, the owners of the Joelma Building (renamed the Edifício Praça da Bandeira) attempted to block the film's distribution. They argued that the filmmakers were sensationalizing the personal tragedy of the victims and harming their business interests.

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