Favela Rising

Their music fueled a movement. His message fought a war.

Jeff Zimbalist- Matt Mochary / Brazil- USA / 2005 / 80 min / Portuguese with English subtitles

FAVELA RISING documents a man and a movement, a city divided and a favela (Brazilian squatter settlement) united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug-trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street, and Afro-Brazilian dance he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police.

At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and Anderson’s grassroots Afro Reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever.

Trailer

Credits

Awards & Festivals

Official Selection:
Vermont International Film Festival
Sao Paulo International Film Festival
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Northern Lights Documentary Film Festival
Maui Film Festival
Milwaukee International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Sedona International Film Festival
LA International Latino Film Festival
African Diaspora Film Festival
Bahamas International Film Festival
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
Northampton Independent Film Festival
Silverdocs Documentary Festival
Sound Unseen- Minneapolis- St. Paul International Film Festival

Awards:
Nomination, Best Art & Culture Documentary, Emmy Awards
Shortlist, Best Documentary, Academy Awards
Winner, Audience Choice Award, Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival
Winner, Best Documentary, Cinema Paradise Film Festival
Winner, Audience Favorite Award, Roxburry Film Festival
Winner, Best Documentary, Sydney International Film Festival
Winner, Best Documentary, Leeds International Film Festival
Winner, Best Documentary, Cinema Paradise Film Festival
Winner, Best Documentary, NY Latino Film Festival
Winner, Best Editing, Woodstock Film Festival
Winner, Best of Show, Tulipanes Latino Art and Film Festival
Winner, Best Emerging Documentary Filmmaker, Tribeca Film Festival
Winner, Best Feature, International Documentary Association

Film site & Reviews

» official site

» Rob Thomas's Review

» Los Angeles Times