Among the films selected to screen in the Panorama section of the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, under the “In Focus: Reclaiming Black History” sidebar, was the Brazilian drama “Vazante” from director Daniela Thomas, which made its World Premiere at the festival.

Thomas, co-director of many joint productions with Walter Salles, made her solo directorial debut with “Vazante.”

The film’s story (co-written by Beto Amaral) is set in 1821, one year before the South American nation gained its independence from Portugal. Brazil was the last country to officially abolish slavery in its historical form, in 1888. The wealth that is extracted from the country comes in the form of gemstones from the mines of Minas Gerais. The precious jewels are excavated from the belly of the mountain by slaves; still absent today is any significant memorial to the suffering they endured. Although this era represents the foundation upon which today’s Brazil was built, its culture has yet to recover from the monstrosity of these events, which are at the center of the film.

“Vazante” stars Adriano Carvalho, Luana Nastas, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha, Sandra Corveloni, and Roberto Audio.

Music Box Films today announced its acquisition of distribution rights to “Vazante,” with an official release date coming.

Chicago-based Music Box Films is a distributor of foreign and independent film in theatrical, DVD/Blu-ray, and video-on-demand markets in the United States. It is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation.

Watch 2 clips from “Vazante” below: