The Girl Who Could Fly

[Cremildo]

A fiction feature, “Girl” is inspired by the life and groundbreaking journey of Brazil’s Daiane dos Santos, the first Brazilian and first Black woman to win gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

The best tumbler of her generation, Dos Santos was the first female gymnast to perform either involving double Arabians: Half twists into double front flips. Dos Santos had two floor exercise skills named after her — the “Dos Santos I” and “Dos Santos II” — a distinction later matched only by U.S. gymnast Simone Biles.

“The Girl Who Could Fly” will explore the powerful story of a young Black girl who broke racial and societal barriers to become a global gymnastics icon” through her “defiance of the physical, mental and aesthetic expectations of her time,” Maria Farinha Filmes announced Wednesday.

In advanced development, “Girl” is written by Flávia Vieira (“These Are the Rules,” the “If My Memory Serves Me Right” podcast) and Janaína Tokitaka (“Mila in the Multiverse,” “Back to 15”). +