Petra Costa Heads Back to Netflix with Another Doc on Brazilian Politics

Netflix has acquired the rights to Petra Costa‘s latest documentary on Brazilian politics, “Apocalypse in the Tropics,” and will stream the film in 2025.

The film is a reunion between Netflix and Costa, who was nominated for an Oscar for the Netflix doc “The Edge of Democracy” from 2019. Netflix acquired “Apocalypse in the Tropics” after it first premiered at Venice and then played Telluride, the New York Film Festival, Camden International, IDFA, Chicago International, and the Montclair Festival. Check out IndieWire’s review out of Venice here.

“Apocalypse in the Tropics” examines how the evangelical movement in Brazil helped pave the way for the rule of Jair Bolsonaro. The film argues that allowing evangelical leaders to wield such power threatens to make Brazil a national theocracy.

Here’s the official logline via Netflix: When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? Apocalypse in the Tropics investigates the increasingly powerful grip that evangelical Christian leaders hold over politics in Brazil. Weaving together past and present, the film holds a mirror up to the rest of the world.

“I am thrilled that ‘Apocalypse in the Tropics’ has found its home on Netflix,” Costa said in a statement. “We worked on this documentary for four years because we believe the erosion of democracy is the most crucial issue we face. In our story, we look at what happens in Brazil as a fable of our times. I know from our experience with ‘The Edge of Democracy‘ that Netflix cares deeply for the filmmakers they work with and will help this story reach a global audience provoking a much needed conversation.”

Costa wrote and directed the documentary and teamed with co-writers David Barker, Alessandra Orofino, Nels Bangerter, and Tina Baz on the project. Costa also produced for her Busca Vida Filmes; Orofino produced for Peri Productions.

“Apocalypse in the Tropics” was made in association with Impact Partners, Play/Action Pictures, Luminate, and Plan B/KM Films.

Brad Pitt’s Plan B is among the executive producers on the project. Here’s the full list of EPs: Jenny Raskin, Jim & Susan Swartz, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Katrina vanden Heuvel and Meadow Fund for Impact Partners; Jeffrey Lurie and Marie Therese Guirgis for Play/Action Pictures; Felipe Estefan and Rafael Georges Zein for Luminate; Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner for Plan B Films; Katy Drake Bettner; Kate Hurwitz; InMaat Foundation; Frida Polli; James Costa; Trevor Burgess.