“Elza Soares lends her voice” to documentary on Black women and addiction

Directed by Urânia Munzanzu, “O Primeiro Beijo” exposes how crack affects Black women’s lives and denounces State neglect.

The documentary “O Primeiro Beijo”, by Bahian filmmaker Urânia Munzanzu, arrives as a political and poetic manifesto for the lives of Black women battling chemical dependence. The film premieres nationwide on November 20, Black Consciousness Day, at the Saladearte circuit in Salvador.

Dependence and resistance

Based on 14 years of research, the feature film explores the use of crack among marginalized Black women — described by the director as a “modern technology of enslavement.” Through testimonies filled with pain and courage, the film portrays the drug as a mechanism of erasure and feminicide, while exposing the absence of public policies and the contradictions of a State that normalizes abandonment.

“‘The first kiss’ is how women in Salvador describe their first experience with the drug. It’s a phrase full of pain, where love and affection are intertwined with violence,” explains Urânia Munzanzu.

Elza Soares’ voice and a Black creative team

Featuring Elza Soares’ voice narrating the poem “Canarinhas da Vila” by Landê Onawale, the documentary includes an original score by Jarbas Bittencourt and a predominantly Black production team. With Lázaro Ramos and Thiago Gomes as associate producers, the film strengthens its aesthetic and political commitment to representation and collective memory.

Munzanzu explains that the creative process sought to avoid exploiting pain. “I took these women out of the streets and into a theater — a clean, dignified space, with food, water and comfort — where they could speak freely and safely,” she says.

Stories that resonate

The project began in 2006, when Urânia met Rilda, a Black woman living with severe addiction who asked her to record her story. “The line that separated me from Rilda was very thin — it was just the ‘first kiss’ she had and I didn’t,” says the filmmaker, who turned the encounter into a testimony about life, spirituality and community responsibility.

“My hope is that this film reaches schools and young Black audiences, so it helps us live — not die,” concludes Urânia Munzanzu.

Co-producer Susan Kalik adds that the documentary seeks to understand crack within Brazil’s necropolitical structure. “This film looks at women who resist, persist and survive. It’s about sisterhood, womanhood and surviving,” she notes.

Production and release

“O Primeiro Beijo” is produced by Acarajé Filmes in partnership with Modupé Produtora Audiovisual and Mulungu Realizações Culturais, with distribution by Olhar Filmes. The project was supported by the Paulo Gustavo Bahia Cultural Grants through the Bahia State Government and the Ministry of Culture.

Service

Film: O Primeiro Beijo Director: Urânia Munzanzu Narration: Elza Soares Premiere: November 20, 2025 Venue: Saladearte Circuit – Av. Sete de Setembro, 2195, Vitória, Salvador – BA Distributor: Olhar Filmes Social media: @munzanzuurania | @olharfilmes_ | @acarajefilmes | @modupe.produtora | @mulungurealizacoes