Black Body is a film the highlights a deadly problem, racial bias. The film underlines the microaggressions and discriminations suffered by Black people. It questions the differences in medical care and the racial obstacles that affect the quality of life of this significant portion of the population.
The 5.30 minute film was created by Artplan, for Instituto Yduqs, an initiative for social and environmental responsibility by Yduqs, the largest higher education group in Brazil, and Instituto de Educação Médica (IDOMED), a medical education institute that brings together several medical schools with over 25 years of experience in the field.
The insight for the film came from the studies of the MEDIVERSIDADE project, by Instituto Yduqs and IDOMED, that works to include diverse ethnicities and social conditions in healthcare. The film highlights the fact that only 3% of doctors in Brazil are Black, according to data from the Federal Council of Medicine in 2023.
Real data, extracted from various studies and publications, demonstrates the inequality in healthcare: Black patients wait, on average, 10 minutes longer to be evaluated. Moreover, consultations with Black patients last, on average, 47% less than with white patients. They also have fewer chances of undergoing imaging exams or X-rays, which can compromise early and accurate diagnoses. The time between diagnosis and surgery is, on average, 6.7 days longer for Black patients, highlighting a systemic bias that can directly affect the survival and quality of life of this population.
“Black Body is an emotional account that brings visibility to a problem that Black people face daily in Brazil: unequal treatment in medical services. And I am extremely happy to see Mediversidade bringing this reflection to light. More than that, we are provoking a debate about the role of education in building a more inclusive and conscious society. Mediversidade is a program that transforms our classrooms, making them more diverse. But it goes beyond that: we are modifying medical practice, giving visibility to a structural problem in health and society. We are working to train doctors who are more prepared to see and care for all lives, promoting a more equitable and, above all, human education,” stated Claudia Romano, president of Instituto Yduqs and vice president of the Yduqs educational group.
“With the Mediversidade program, we reaffirm our commitment to inclusion and diversity in all 18 medical schools of the IDOMED group. We believe that a diverse educational environment enriches the academic experience and better prepares all our future doctors to meet the real needs of society,” added Silvio Pessanha, CEO of IDOMED.
The film was crafted to provoke reflection on the consequences of structural racism in healthcare. It follows the journey of a Black man facing indifference and negligence from professionals in this field. “Our creative team chose to use camera techniques and effects to blur the patient and symbolize precisely this lack of attention, highlighting his invisibility. The short film emphasizes the distance and lack of care, vividly portraying the barriers that Black people face even in the most critical moments of their lives,” noted Marcello Noronha, CCO of Artplan.
Black Body was released on April 1 in Rio de Janeiro and was followed by a round table discussion. To expand the visibility of the project, communication initiatives focused on racial literacy will be carried out, including special screenings of the film in national cinemas, activations with digital influencers, lectures with specialists, and dissemination in Out of Home (OOH) media.
The full campaign includes a book with an ambitious purpose – to refocus medical training Nigrum Corpus – A Study on Racism in Brazilian Medicine is based on real testimonies, highlighting biases within the health field and addressing the origin of the problem already in the training of health professionals. The goal is for the material to be distributed to the main medical schools in the country, in order to prioritise the training of more conscious, empathetic, and prepared doctors to face institutional racism.
Credits:
Agency: Artplan
Dreamers Group CCOs: Rafael Gil, Rodrigo Almeida
Artplan CCOs: Marcello Noronha, Rodrigo Almeida, Rafael Gil
ECD: Ricardo Weitsman
Creative Direction: Victor Emeka, Eric Ribeiro, Felippe Mendonça, Rafael Jardim
Creative Team: Marcello Noronha, Rodrigo Almeida, Rafael Gil, Eric Ribeiro, Felippe Mendonça, Rafael Jardim, Pedro Chaves, Kauan Sierota and Andressa Gomes
General Director Artplan Rio: Ana Paula Sanchez
Head of Business & Client Services: Cristiana Miranda
Account Director: Priscilla França
Account Manager: Rachel Selouan
National Planning Head: Paula Lagrotta
Planning Director: Aline Freitas
Project Director: Aurora Blotta
Project Manager: Andrea Hedler
Head of RTV: Felipe Cunha
Audiovisual Manager: Patrícia Cortes
Audiovisual Producer: Karoline Justino
Head of Media: Joana Chulam
General Media Director: Sabrina Frota
Media Director: Samantha Rodrigues
Creative Data Director: Carolina Amorim
Creative Data Supervisor: Adelson Tuche
Public Relations: Cláudia Nascimento & Luciana Thomaz
Diversity & Inclusion: Debora Moura and Annelise Passos
Clients: Instituto Yduqs & Idomed
IDOMED Team: Silvio Pessanha Neto (CEO of IDOMED), Marcel Desco (VP of Sales and Marketing YDUQS), Claudia Romano (VP of Yduqs Educational Group), Renata Tasca (Director of Brand Strategy and Media – IDOMED), Marcelle Lima, Jaqueline Nunes, Renata Barros, Juliana Cardoso, Vanessa Bussolini, Daniel de Brito, Paulo Victor Nascimento, Jessica Lia, Eduardo Guedes, Renata Rudge and Flavia Vale.
Instituto YDUQS Team: Claudia Romano (President of Instituto YDUQS), Silvio Pessanha Neto (VP of Instituto YDUQS), Joice Portella, Isabela Túbero, Alexandra Borges, Anne Caroline Silva and Jhon Figueiredo
Film Production Company: Untitled
Director: Nany Oliveira
Executive Producer: Karin Nantes
Director of Photography: Paul Bessa
Assistant Director: Juliana Antich
Producers: Paula Soares & Danielle Makauskas
Coordinators: Camila Gouveia & Camilla Bastos
Art Director: Ione Maria
Production Directors: Daniel Caldeira & Jonny Stefanelli
Post-production: Space Gorilla Post
Executive Producer: Ana Ourique
Editor: Daniela Guimarães
Finishing Artist: Rafaela Bitencourt
VFX Supervisor: Marcell Hernandes
Composers: Valdo Caetano & Iuri Tampolski
Motion Designer: Pedro Gebara
Colour Grading: Psycho N’ Look
Image Supervision: Marcio Pasqualino @ ABC
Colourist: Marcio Pasqualino @ ABC
Audio Production Company: RAW
Music Director: Hilton Raw
Original Score Composers: Fernando Forni & Will Sebastião
Voice Recording Director: Robério Barbosa
Sound Design, Editing & Mixing: Philip Braunstein & Enrico Maccio
Client Services: Carol Peternelli
Poster Photography: Mauricio Nahas
Image Retouching: Fujocka
