Sunday at the Coup

Giselle Beiguelman
Lucas Bambozzi 

Saturday
12.09.2026
15:15–15:45

Sunday
13.09.2026
13:30–14:00

Betonhalle

Sunday at the Coup is a “ready media” documentary about the events of January 8, 2023, produced using security camera footage from the Palácio do Planalto. On this day, far-right supporters of former president Jair Bolsonarostormed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress in Brasilia.The narration was created from excerpts of the final report of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on the January 8 Events, read by its rapporteur, Senator Eliziane Gama. Sunday at the Coup explores a January 8 that did not begin in 2023—and yet, has not ended. Defined by its creators as an example of the “ready media” format—referring to works in which the focus is more on drawing attention to what already exists than on creating something entirely new—the documentary was entirely produced using security camera footage from the Palácio do Planalto, the seat of federal power in Brasília.

This footage was made available to the press by the Institutional Security Office (GSI) under orders from the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in April 2023. The narration was created from excerpts of the final report of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on the January 8 Events, released on October 17, 2023, and read by its rapporteur, Senator Eliziane Gama. Sunday at the Coup explores a January 8 that did not begin a year ago and, yet, has not ended, according to the rapporteur's speech, which serves as the film’s narrative thread. An initial cut of the documentary was made publicly available online on January 8, 2024. The decision to release the final version on the 60th anniversary of the 1964 coup reflects on the continuities between that event and other similar recent occurrences.

The documentary suggests that attacks against social transformation form a continuous thread in Brazilian history— carried out, at times, through undemocratic acts by the country's elites. This notion is echoed in the words of Darcy Ribeiro, one of the voices guiding the documentary. Another key aspect explored in the film is the urban design of Brasília, which reflects the country's institutional powers. The documentary includes statements by Lúcio Costa, who explains that his intent was "to create an equilateral triangular square because, theoretically, the three branches of power carry the same weight." What is seen in reality, however, is not just an attack on these governing institutions but also a direct assault on the symbols of republican and democratic culture. 

A documentary by:

Giselle Beiguelman 

Lucas Bambozzi 

Soundtrack based on songs by: 

Gabriel Lemos 

Muep Etmo 

Narration: 

Senator Eliziane Gama reading final report at CPI dos Atos Golpistas, on October 17, 2023 

Arquitect Lúcio Costa, Interview to Ana Rosa de Oliveira, Vitruvius, magazine, July 2005 

Historian and sociologist Darcy Ribeiro 

Ex-president Jair Bolsonaro Interview to Revista Oeste, February, 2024 

Hamilton Mourão Speech at Senate, February 2024