January 18, 2024
Reading time • 5 min
Series produced by Estúdio Folha wins National Prize for Combating Piracy
The series “Caminhos Proibidos” (Forbidden Paths), produced by Estúdio Folha and showing the social and economic damage caused by smuggling, was one of the winners of the National Prize for Combating Piracy 2023.
Awarded by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, through the National Council to Combat Piracy (CNCP), the prize is given every year to academics, public and private organizations that have stood out in the fight against piracy and the protection of intellectual property rights.
With three episodes of around 15 minutes each, the documentary series exposed the ease with which criminals cross Brazilian borders to bring in illegal products sold or produced in other countries – in 2022 alone, the illegal market moved BRL 410 billion, money that could be applied to education, health and the fight against hunger.
The series is the result of a partnership between Estúdio Folha, Folha de S.Paulo’s sponsored content studio, the National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP), a civil and non-partisan association focused on combating illegal trade, and FSB Comunicações.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Estúdio Folha was created in 2015 to meet the growing demand for the production of quality sponsored content by companies, governments and institutions.
With a team of experienced journalists and graphic artists, it produces texts, podcasts, video series, seminars, webinars, workshops or other content on demand. The material can be broadcast on Folha’s platforms or aimed at specific audiences.
Estúdio Folha’s team of professionals is independent from Folha’s editorial staff, and all the content produced that is published in the newspaper is identified with Estúdio Folha’s signature and the sponsor’s name.
“We use Folha’s rigor, experience and quality to produce relevant content for brands. To enable them to speak more directly to their audience. The ‘Forbidden Paths’ series is an example of this,” says Vaguinaldo Marinheiro, director of Estúdio Folha.
The documentary was presented and directed by journalist César Galvão, who worked at Globo from 1999 to 2023 and specialized in coverage related to violence and public safety.
For the series, Galvão followed the work of agents and inspectors responsible for monitoring the more than 16,000 kilometers of borders with 10 South American countries.
He also showed that there are new entry routes for illegal goods coming from the Caribbean, by sea, which arrive at ports in Pará and, from there, travel by land, river or sea to other states in the North and Northeast.
As well as exposing the ease with which illegal products enter the country and that the transportation logistics used by these criminals also facilitate the entry of drugs and weapons, the series shows how the sale of these goods is done without embarrassment in many places, such as the capital of São Paulo.
The series also looks at how the tax imbalance drives illegal trade in Brazil.
“The challenge of this endeavor was to show the cause and effect of illegality. Participating in the whole process, from the research to the recording and finalization was very rewarding. Anyone who watches the series can understand how harmful smuggling is to society,” says César Galvão.
“Caminhos Proibidos”, however, doesn’t just point out the difficulties of curbing this type of crime. Through interviews and data, it presents proposals to minimize the damage caused to public coffers and to Brazilian society as a whole.
The launch of “Caminhos Proibidos” coincided with the debates surrounding the Tax Reform. “The consequences of a crime with as many facets as smuggling are often hidden from the national debate and this is the time to change that. We need to bring to light the damage caused by the illegal market,” says Edson Vismona, president of the FNCP, about the partnership with Estúdio Folha. The Forum has been working since 2006 to tackle the illegal market and combat piracy.
The National Prize for Combating Piracy was awarded on the 18th at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice. The projects are evaluated according to criteria related to the impacts and benefits to society and the consumer; innovation and creativity; planning and coordination; potential for example and motivation. The evaluation is carried out by a CNCP commission.
