Brazil/USA. 2001. 56 min Director: Flavia Fontes Also Available: German Version & Spanish Dialogue List

"When I first read of the story in a small Brazilian newspaper in New York, I was shocked. With my digital video camera in hand, I talked to the couple, their families, the townspeople, and the local priests. Many of them were afraid to speak their minds in the shadow of the Catholic Church. Told entirely through their voices, the film unfolds into a gentle love story about human sexuality, the rights of the disabled, and faith in Brazil." Flavia

Synopsis: Forbidden Wedding is the story of a man who is forbidden to get married by the Catholic Church in Brazil because he is sexually impotent. Hedir Antonio de Brito, a paraplegic from the age of 15, wants simply to marry Mara. They were preparing for the wedding; invitations had been mailed, and their marriage certificate applied for from the Roman Catholic Church. Then the shocking letter arrived from the local bishop denying their application. According to the Vatican s Canonic Law 1084, a man must be able to copulate in order to get married. Awards & Festivals (click here)