The future looks bright for 17-year-old Sofia, a gifted volleyball star in São Paulo, whose passion and prowess for the sport has garnered the possibility of an international scholarship. With the championship game that could determine her future on the horizon, Sofia’s prospects of freedom and autonomy are threatened when she finds herself unexpectedly — and unwelcomely — pregnant. As she searches for a solution in a country where abortion is illegal, Sofia becomes the target of the conservative community determined to stop her at any cost. But these far-right, anti-choice zealots are no match for Sofia and the incendiary spark of solidarity ignited by her ferocious queer band of friends, lovers, and teammates, who prove they can be just as formidable off the court as well as on.

Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Lillah Halla’s punky and electrifying debut feature (the Portuguese title of which, Levante, translates to “Uprising”) is a primal scream in the face of a system who claims to protect life but instead condemns it. As Sofia and her allies resist and challenge an oppressive present, they pave a path toward a free future.