Realizing her aspirations against a backdrop of rigidity, São Paulo-born multidisciplinary artist, dancer, movement director and model Black Pearl de Almeida Lima evolved through creative expression in a landscape limited by its constraints. Now based in Berlin, but embracing her trans identity against the strict gender norms of Brazilian society, she reflects on her path and obstacles intended to obscure her femininity for short film PEARL – casting a cinematic lens on the facets of her story. 

Amplified by abstract storytelling, and experiments in thermal imaging, director Alexander Norek connects with Black Pearl through her choreography – combining elements drawn from modern ballet, neo-classical, contemporary dance, and vogue. Capturing the freedom found in performance as a channel for individualism, PEARL illuminates the resilience she embodies to live authentically, and her ambition to find acceptance beyond borders, celebrating the community built through creativity, and identifying the strength to live without fear.