Beth Carvalho

Between scenes from his concert in São Paulo's oft-inaccessible Theatro Municipal, rapper and activist Emicida celebrates the rich legacy of Black Brazilian culture.

Leci Brandão is a pioneer of socially conscious music in Brazil. A samba singer, communist party activist and the second black deputy elected in the history of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, she transformed her life into a fight for more diversity. As she herself says, "samba is Brazil's identity card". Several personalities reflect on the importance of Leci, at 80 years of age and with 50 years of career, in building a Brazil with less hate and more opportunities.

A documentary that revisits the golden age of pagode, celebrating the musical genre that defined a generation and dominated parties, TV shows, and radio stations across Brazil. Through archival footage and testimonials from artists and behind-the-scenes figures, the film explores the phenomenon's roots, its meteoric rise, and the legacy that still resonates in today's music. In a nostalgic musical showcase featuring major names from the genre, timeless hits are reimagined, paying tribute to pagode's impact on Brazilian culture.

No synopsis available yet.

A documentary on the career of Beth Carvalho, the Brazilian singer who became a well known samba legend from the 1970s onwards, edited together from hundreds of hours of footage and audio files kept (and partially recorded) by Carvalho herself during her lifetime.

Partner of Aldir Blanc and creator of the Samba do Trabalhador, Moacyr Luz is followed by Tarsilla Alves' cameras for a week. A seasoned bohemian, we follow Moacyr's wanderings, filled with plenty of booze, gatherings with friends, and beautiful sambas that qualify him to be called the "ambassador" of the capital of Rio de Janeiro.

No synopsis available yet.

Since samba emerged in Rio de Janeiro, the presence of women has been fundamental to its creation, maintenance and perpetuation to this day. Muses, pastors, aunts, composers, dancers, godmothers, carnival dancers, mulatas, performers and even as workers, they form a panel of colors, feelings and sounds in the representation of this culture. This film takes a brief look at the history of some of these women, honoring and recognizing their strength.

No synopsis available yet.

A year of hard work, thousands of people involved, the choice of a great samba, the death of their official vocalist for 17 years, lots of sweat, tears and love, made Carnival 2016 extremely special. Behind the scenes of the biggest samba school on the planet, Estação Primeira de Mangueira, after 14 years without winning the contest, the entire universe created for Mangueira's parade, which is an international carnival icon, was documented for the first time, from the first step to the title of best samba school in 2016.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A movie about Banda de Ipanema, one of Rio de Janeiro’s most traditional Carnaval blocks, and its founder Albino Pinheiro.

No synopsis available yet.

A documentary about the celebration of the National Samba Day with the aim of preserving the memory of part of the history of samba, which was being forgotten by the press and the Brazilian people.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

ABC of a Strike captures the 1979 metal workers strikes outside of São Paulo. The footage sat untouched until after the death of highly-regarded director Leon Hirszman in 1987, by which time the material had a new relevance. The gripping film captures the negotiations between the labor unions and the factory bosses and shows the birth of the region’s Worker’s Party, as well as the emergence of its charismatic leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Rising from extreme poverty, Lula gained national prominence as a union activist during the late 70s and early 80s. After being jailed during his time as a union leader, he eventually becomes Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010.

A documentary about the fathers of Bossa Nova: João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

A documentary on the influence that carnival has on the daily life of the Mangueira hill in Rio de Janeiro. It follows the manufacture of the carnivals of 1981 and 1982, interviewing several residents who tell the story of more than half a century of the favela's existence and emphasizing its community importance and cultural, to the sound of the most beautiful sambas composed on Mangueira.

Documentary about the strikes that took place in São Bernardo do Campo, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, circa 1979/1980. That moment was of utmost importance, since it revealed a Union leader, Luís Inácio "Lula" da Silva, who would later become President of Brazil. It was also the moment when PT, the Workers' Party, became a relevant political force in Brazil.