Brazil’s Road to Democracy

On 25 October 2026 Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential runoff for a fourth term; his opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, did not concede and said he would seek to annul the result. This film tells how Brazil's democracy took the shape it has: the coup of 1964 against João Goulart and the 21 years of military rule that followed, the Institutional Act of 1968, the 'economic miracle' and the repression documented by the National Truth Commission, the slow opening and the 1979 amnesty, the Diretas Já movement and the amendment that failed in 1984, the indirect election of 1985, the 'Citizen Constitution' of 1988, the first direct election in 29 years, an impeachment, Lula's rise, conviction and annulment, the attack on Brasília in January 2023 and the conviction of Jair Bolsonaro in 2025, each side's account given in its own terms.

Brazil’s road to democracy

From the 1964 coup to the 2026 runoff.

The coup

A president pushed out, an army in charge.

The years of lead

A decree that closed Congress.

The slow opening

Loosening the grip, on the generals’ terms.

A new constitution

A civilian president, then a new charter.

Democracy tested

Elections, an impeachment, and a coup plot.

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