Eliciana Nascimento

Nascimento is a living proof of resilience through self-motivation and determination. Coming from a challenging background from the slums of Brazil, she found her way to become a celebrated filmmaker in the USA. Being the child of working class family, Nascimento overcame life adversity and was the first generation in her extended family to earn a college degree and still the only one to have earned a master's degree.

Aware of the importance of giving back to her community, Nascimento engages with her people not only through the films she creates, but she has also actively been a mentor to variety of women and family of color in Brazil, Cuba and in the USA. Being an ordained priest in the Lukumi tradition, Nascimento has mentored people in spiritual  matters, relationship, career and self-improvement. Her mentorship work goes beyond the guidance to individuals, she has also participated in conferences and community engagements bringing awareness to important social issues.

Some of the conferences and events Nascimento has presented include:  

• “Race, Gender and Identity in the Bay of All Saints”, Afro-Brazilian Guest Speaker Series, Pitzer College, 2017
• “Art and Cultural Resistance in Black Brazil and the Diaspora,” Symposium Conciencia Negra: A Legacy of Consciousness in Brazil, Swarthmore College, USA, 2016
• “The Summer of Gods,” International Women’s History Month, University of Chicago, 2016
• “Brazil: Race and Identity,” Silicon Valley African Film Festival, 2016
• “The Summer of Gods,” African and Diasporic Spiritual Soundscapes, Harvard University, 2015
• “The Summer of Gods,” Bionners Conference, 2015
• “The Summer of Gods,” Sacramento City College, Latino Heritage Month, 2015
• “The Summer of Gods,” Skyline College, Latino Heritage Month, 2014

Get in touch if you'd like to invite Ms. Nascimento to talk and/or present her work at your event.