Favela Rising
USA/Brazil, 2005, 78 minutes, Portugese with English subtitles
Non-Premiere

Director: Jeff Zimbalist, Matt Mochary

Proof again that “music hath charms to soothe the savage breast” comes from this uplifting, gritty documentary about a man and a movement that symbolize hope and possibility in the midst of poverty and despair. Set in the shantytowns that rise helter-skelter above Rio de Janeiro, FAVELA RISING moves to a decidedly Brazilian beat in telling the story of Anderson Sá and the growth of AfroReggae, the pulsing music and dance that became the springboard for social change. Born in Vigário Geral, one of Rio’s most violent favelas (slums), Sá aspired to little beyond rising to drug kingpin. But in 1993, after police massacred 21 residents in retaliation for the killing of four officers, Sá sought a new antidote to the drug warfare and outside oppression that controlled his community. Through the success of AfroReggae, which marries reggae, soul and hip-hop with politically charged lyrics, Sá and his activist bandmates have been able to establish programs in dance, percussion, theater, literacy and healthcare for youth, offering an alternative to gang involvement. - Herma M. Rosenthal