In the film ‘Dona Vitória’, the protagonist will be called Josefina and will be from Minas Gerais, while the real one, Joana da Paz, was from Alagoas

Josefina, instead of Joana. Minas Gerais, instead of Alagoas. The name and birthplace of the lady who inspired “Dona Vitória” were adapted for the feature film, starring Fernanda Montenegro and directed by Andrucha Waddington. The film, which is scheduled for release next year, had its recordings completed in December last year and is in the post-production phase. Joana Zeferino da Paz, the elderly woman who inspired a series of EXTRA reports in 2005, a book and a film, died this Ash Wednesday (22nd), in Salvador (BA), aged 97.

Dona Joana had her identity kept secret until then, for security reasons. And she consulted the team at Conspiração Filmes and Globoplay about her own story. At the age of 80, at the time, she filmed the routine of drug trafficking on Ladeira dos Tabajaras, in Copacabana, in the South Zone, and reported it to the police.

Backstage: Young actor from the movie ‘Dona Vitória’ conquered Fernanda Montenegro on set: ‘She said I was her Christmas present’

The streaming platform and the producer responsible for the film “Dona Vitória” released a note of condolence for the death of Joana da Paz this Thursday (23):

“Globoplay and the producer Conspiração mourn the death of Joana Zeferino da Paz, who died at the age of 97 yesterday afternoon in Salvador. bandits and police in 2005, is the inspiration for ‘Victory’, an Original Globoplay film produced by Conspiração and the associated producer My Mamma.

The feature has Fernanda Montenegro in the lead role and actor Alan Rocha giving life to the character inspired by journalist Fabio Gusmão, now editor of O Globo and Extra, who discovered Dona Joana’s story and brought it to the public.

For 17 years, Joana da Paz lived under forced anonymity in the witness protection program. For security reasons, the characters underwent adaptations, such as name, physical characteristics and naturalness so that it would not be possible to identify them. In the film, Joana is called Josefina and, instead of being from Alagoas, she is from Minas Gerais.

‘Vitória’ had the recordings completed in December last year and is in the post-production phase. The premiere is scheduled for 2024. The direction is by Andrucha Waddington, who took over the project in place of Breno Silveira, who died at the beginning of filming”.

Filming: Fernanda Montenegro shoots scenes from the movie ‘Dona Vitória’ in the streets and in a bakery in Lapa, in Rio

The plot of “Dona Vitória” is inspired by a report originally published by EXTRA, in August 2005, by the then reporter Fábio Gusmão, current editor of the newspapers EXTRA and O Globo in Rio. On the occasion, he told how the elderly woman filmed drug trafficking on Ladeira dos Tabajaras for two years from her apartment window and handed the material to the police, allowing the arrest of more than 30 people, including military police officers involved with the gang.

To carry out all the investigation, Gusmão visited Dona Vitória weekly claiming to be her nephew. For the police to arrive at the apartment, they posed as possible buyers of the property. Afterwards, the case also gave rise to the book “Dona Vitória da Paz”, also written by the journalist and published by Planeta.

Inspiration: See details of the story of ‘Dona Vitória’, the character that will be played by Fernanda Montenegro in a movie

The production will tell the life story of Joana Zeferino da Paz since her childhood in Alagoas, when she was raped at age 13 by the son of a farmer in the region, who took her away from her family. At the time, the girl became pregnant and wandered through cities during her pregnancy, until she saw her family again and denounced the boy. Shortly after, she lost her daughter, who was born with a heart condition.
— Obviously, this is a work of fiction, but the script managed to keep the essence of what that woman is — evaluates Gusmão.

After all the repercussions of the case and the arrest of those involved, it was difficult to convince Dona Vitória to leave the apartment where she lived for 38 years and bought it with difficulty, in a financing by Caixa Econômica.

Longing: Breno Silveira’s widow, screenwriter Paula Fiuza speaks for the first time of her partner’s death