Pedaço de Mim: O Caso Planalto: Documentário jornalístico sobre o caso do desaparecimento das crianças do Planalto em Natal.

Abstract

This technical report presents the documentary "Pedaço de Mim: O Caso Planalto" (A Piece of Me: The Planalto Case), the product of an experimental project investigating the disappearance of five children in the Planalto neighborhood, Natal (RN), Brazil, between 1998 and 2001. The audiovisual work, approximately 60 minutes long, aims to rescue the memory of Moisés, Joseane, Yuri, Gilson, and Marília, whose absences have perpetuated an unsolved mystery and continuous pain for their families. The project is justified by the urgent need to shed light on a case that, despite its gravity, fell into social and media oblivion, exposing institutional failures and the invisibilization of marginalized bodies. For this, the study is grounded in authors such as Bill Nichols (2005), who examines documentary concepts and modes of representation as a tool for interpreting reality; Pierre Nora (1993), who address the construction of collective memory; Achille Mbembe (2018), with his theory of necropolitics and the discussion on the production of disposable bodies; and Cremilda Medina (2007), who analyzes ethics in social communication and the documentary's potential as a symbolic map. The methodology employed combined in-depth bibliographic and documentary research, including the analysis of press archives and official reports, with fieldwork based on in-depth interviews with the children's family members, journalists who covered the case, and authorities involved in the investigation. After the recording stages, the post-production process prioritized the construction of a sensitive narrative that amplifies the families' voices and resilience, combating sensationalism and silencing, and prompting reflection on the human, social, and institutional intersections that permeate the case.