"When I first visited Itapuã in 2007, I had the impression that I was in an idyllic place, a tiny little town that was surrounded by mountains, still untouched, a virgin forest, a little piece of heaven on Earth. Paradoxically, this unique beautiful place hides an unhealed wound that its citizens had trouble revealing, as they did not want to revisit the past.
When I came closer to where people lived, the paradise that I saw from distance revealed unimaginable situations and an incredible amount of suffering.  During the decades, the place was some sort of stage for numerous stories of life and work.  They were not always sad, but most of the times they were devastated.  Within the limits of mandatory exclusion, people there sought to bring into that place aspects of “normality”, of day to day life.  With this formula they were able to build a unique community with its own habits, discipline and quality work.
I also realized when I was talking to them that what I saw and read did not correspond to the poor reporting and to the old archived films about the institution. Throughout the decades, the place was an object of studies. The few TV reports and films about it revealed much more of the particular form of documenting facts in different periods of time than about the institution itself and those living in there.
At the same time it seemed so urgent to me to document a certain form of life that is disappearing, I also felt the need to address the question of what is the proper format of documenting and the many ways of representing what is real.  What would be the correct way to deal with the subject?  Is it possible to present a “correct” treatment?  How could I really tell something new or distinguish each person?  Is this really possible to do it or like others before me, my film is fated to remain written in history as a portrait of some sort of contemporary representation?
I decided to make a documentary that questions the way of representation, experimenting and presenting at least two distinct forms about the same subject, while using the same material. In one sense being more contemplative in the style of direct cinema, revealing not only an option of the director but gaining another significance when the images are juxtaposed in a different way. And yet in another one, capturing stories of the past not so far off before they disappear, questioning the way we document them.
To realize the film, my crew and I decided to live at the institute during the month of December 2010, having an integration time with the community and portraying their universe during the many different time periods and situations that arise on a daily basis.  In March/April 2011 I returned with the crew to get additional footage".

- Liliana Sulzbach, writer and director of THE VILLAGE.​