FAVELA RISING

Anderson Sa's neighborhood is in one of the many slums, or favelas, of Rio de Janeiro, where residents pass crimes scenes unaffected, as if they were everyday occurrences--and unfortunately they are. The people are immune to the sights and sounds of drugs trafficking, beatings and murders. Young men who survive growing up in this environment can't help but be altered by it. Sa, a former drug dealer himself, was so appalled by the increasing brutality that he saw no other choice but to fight back. This he did through music, mixing hip-hop with the rhythms of the street and Afro-Brazilian dance, to form not only a new musical genre but a whole movement, AfroReggae.

Often, the best way to keep impoverished kids off the streets is to give them an alternative, usually in the form of a structured program that builds self-esteem. The success of AfroReggae is evident in the young people featured in the film who resist the overwhelming temptation of drugs, money and status to stay with the movement.

Today AfroReggae groups play to massive crowds all over the world and rally communities to stand up against drug dealers and corrupt governments. And despite the raging conflicts, the colorful sights of this Brazillian favela and the sounds of the unique music that is born from it make FAVELA RISING as enchanting as it is inspiring.

Mary Kerr

Jeff Zimbalist has edited numerous long-format and feature-length documentary films for broadcast on PBS, Women's Entertainment Television, and various news programs. Zimbalist has shot, directed, and edited a variety of short fiction and nonfiction films and has provided media consulting services to the UNDP and various international nonprofit service organizations. Currently, Zimbalist is a faculty member at both the New York Film Academy and the Maine Photographic Workshops. FAVELA RISING is his feature-length directorial debut.

Matt Mochary is a new filmmaker. FAVELA RISING is his first piece of co-direction and production. Previously, Mochary was a Partner at Spectrum Equity Investors, the founder and Chairman of Totality Corporation, the Chairman of AEKus Properties, and the founder of The Mochary Foundation, a charitable organization that promotes public education. Mochary received his BA from Yale University and his MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University.

Print Source:
Jeff Zimbalst, Stealth Creations
66 Washington Ave
Northampton, MA 01060
Tel: 413 896-6224
Email: jeff.zimbalist@gmail.com

Thursday 6/16 at 9:45 p.m.
Friday 6/17 at 5:00 p.m.

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