Length: 20'
Director: Leon Hirszman
Producer: Leon Hirszman Produções
Production: Arnaldo Jabor
Script: Leon Hirszman
Cinematographer: Luiz Carlos Saldanha
Editing: Nelson Pereira dos Santos
Music: Caetano Veloso
Narration: Ferreira Gullar
Filmed in 1963, with direct sound, this documentary portrays the daily life and extreme poverty of illiterate peasants in the Northeast of Brazil. Unable to read and write, they are not allowed to vote, although they are aware of their situation and are perfectly capable of proposing solutions to their problems. Maioria absoluta gives a voice to the illiterate through testimonies, statistics and historical data that shed light on the problem of the latifundia in the Brazilian agrarian structure. With the advent of the military coup in 1964, the film was censored and banned from being shown until 1980, although it was shown outside Brazil, where it won awards at various international festivals.