Favela Rising

US Favela Tour -- Bronx Museum of the Arts

2006-01-20T18:23:00.000-05:00

Thank you very much to all who attended the screening of Favela Rising at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, for making the night a huge success. Participants included executive directors and staff from Bronx-based organizations that work with at-risk youth and primarily use art (music, dance, hip hop,poetry, film) in their programs. Some of the organizations that attended the screening were DreamYard, The Bronx Council on the Arts, The Bronx River Alliance, PS 1, New Settlement Apartments, and The Bronx Academy. After the film, we had a network reception to discuss future collaborations amongst the organizations as well as with the film. With this event, we sought to encourage and inspire these community leaders with a film that we feel exemplifies their work. Favela Rising indeed resonated throughout the audience and with these leaders, and more screenings were established. The US Favela Tour continues to move forward throughout the Bronx and the rest of the country.

Interview: Matt Mochary

2006-01-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

Part Two of Cinematical's conversation with the directors of Favela Rising - this one with Matt Mochary - is online now.

Powell River, British Columbia

2006-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Favela Rising will show at the Powell River Film Festival, Friday, February 18th.

Their page devoted to the film is here. Complete festival schedule is here.

Brooklyn Favela: Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn, NY)

2006-01-16T18:27:00.001-05:00

There is a private daytime screening for Thomas Jefferson High's 1700 students and staff tomorrow, January 17.

Time to be announced.

NPR Speaks to Favela Rising Directors

2006-01-16T18:07:00.000-05:00

The National Public Radio's interview with Jeff Zimabalist and Matt Mochary is available online.

Interview: Jeff Zimbalist

2006-01-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

Part One of Cinematical's interview with Jeff Zimbalist is online now.

Palm Springs Film Festival

2006-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Palm Springs Film Festival wraps today and includes a morning screening of Favela Rising.

The local Desert Sun features the film in their Best Of The Fest rundown.

2005 Best of the Festival film - Annapolis

2006-01-11T18:40:00.000-05:00

Friday January 13th: Favela Rising will be presented as 2005 Best of the Festival at the Annapolis Film Festival and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

7:30 p.m., Friday, 801 Chase Street, Annapolis.

Part of the MHCA Independent Film Series

Favela Rising at the Mountain Top Film Festival

2006-01-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Burlington Free Press on the third annual MountainTop Human Rights Film Festival in Burlington Vermont.

It begins Wednesday and includes screenings of Favela Rising.

Complete schedule here.

"The people in the favelas are victims twice over"

2006-01-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

Violence in the favelas is on the American news radar with this piece in the Baltimore Sun, focusing on the December 3 murder of 5 in Rio.

The gunmen were police officers. 4 of the 5 dead were teenagers:

...after hearing the officers' conflicting accounts and visiting the bar where the killings took place, members of the state's human rights commission said there were "very strong indications" that the boys had been summarily executed - that the only shots were fired by the police.

One of the victims was 11-year-old Wellington Santiago, who had stopped at the bar with friends to buy sodas for a birthday party they were on their way to attend.

"He was shot five times, in the head, in the stomach, which destroyed his internal organs, and the arm," said Fernanda de Oliveira, his mother. "He was killed in such a brutal way. So very cruel."

Wellington was a conscientious student who had nothing to do with drugs, de Oliveira said.

She described police incursions as a constant horror in Morro do Estado, the favela where she lives: "They invade all the time. The schools are constantly closing" because of confrontations between police and drug traffickers.

Twelve officers have been detained in the killings.

Read the entire piece by Henry Chu.

Launch of the "US Favela Outreach Tour" in East Harlem, NYC

2006-01-09T18:09:00.001-05:00

On Friday, January 13th in East Harlem, NYC, the Favela Rising Outreach Team will launch the "US Favela Outreach Tour", a multi-city tour of screening worskhops in inner-city, American favelas. Brooklyn, Bronx, Harlem and South Cenral Los Angeles will have multiple high school, after-school, public and rally screenings to raise human teenage capital from their streets to their local youth arts centers accross the country. Free screenings to captive youth in their OWN neighborhoods with representatives for the local drum, dance or spoken word team on the scene for immediate recruitment... the Favela Rising Movement continues!

Weekend Warrior's Top 25

2006-01-02T12:13:00.000-05:00

Over at Coming Soon, Favela Rising shares the #13 slot with A State Of Mind in a round up of the year's best films.

AfroReggae and The Stones

2005-12-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

Speculation around the web is that AfroReggae is on the short list to open for the Rolling Stones in February at a free concert at Copacabana.

Yahoo and Reuters include photos of the group as part of their coverage of news on the Stones show here, here , and here.

Developing.

"AfroReggae's goal is to stop this war."

2005-12-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

Angus MacSwan, writing for Reuters and their AlertNet, has a very good article on the Favela that mentions the film and captures what this is all about.

Youths armed with AK-47 rifles sit on street corners in the cramped Vigario Geral slum in Rio de Janeiro, reporting on a stranger's movements through walkie-talkies.

They are the foot soldiers of the drug gangs who rule the seaside city's violent slums, or favelas.

Above them, in an upstairs room off an alleyway, Carlos Andre Santos is watching a group of youngsters go through a drumming routine.

Three months ago, Carlos was a colleague of the gunmen as a manager in the trafficking gang that holds Vigario Geral -- the notorious Red Command.

Now he is a teacher in one of Rio's most successful social projects, Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, a grassroots cultural community built around the band AfroReggae that aims to guide youths away from the gangs.

The piece also mentions the win at Tribeca and has some quotes from Anderson.

Read the whole thing.

Update: This story has been picked up around the world including here, here, here, and here and many other international papers.

Rival LA Gangs Call Truce to View Favela Rising

2005-12-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday we had a great screening of the film at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights (east LA). It was particularly powerful, because Raul Diaz of Homeboy Industries brought with him about 30 youth that were working with Homeboy. After the film, Ando and I jumped in a van with Raul and about 8 youth – most of whom were gang-affiliated -- and toured the neighborhood. I sat in the back seat. On my left was Chris of the gang Primera Flats. On my right was Mike of the rival gang TMC. On the streets these two gangs are sworn deadly rivals. But Raul had gotten them to agree to put their hatred aside for this screening of the film, and while we sat together in the van the truce held. It was a very moving moment for me that the power of the film was strong enough that these two sworn enemies could sit three feet from each other (with only me separating them) and hold a truce.

And then of course, they told their stories. Just as in Brazil, both felt a need to join a gang for three things: money, security and a sense of belonging. Chris in particular told me that Raul was like a big brother to him, and therefore Chris saw a potential family outside of the gang. Raul was also offering him a way to earn legitimate money. And by leaving the gang world, Chris might have less need for security. While Chris hadn’t decided to leave the gang life, he told me that he was confused. The film had inspired him. I hope, when I go back to Boyle Heights, that Chris, like so many kids in Brazil, has decided to leave the gang life …

Interview with Matt Mochary, Director of Favela Rising

2005-12-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

AcheiUSA, a Brazilian publication, has a recent interview with Matt Mochary, Director/Producer of Favela Rising. In the interview, Matt discusses the reasons he and Jeff Zimbalist made the film, his impressions of the favelas, Rio, and AfroReggae, as well as the topics of non-violence and ending crime in Brazil.

We both wanted to tell the story of a community that worked, of a community and of individuals that were succeeding in spite of extreme obstacles. When I met Anderson in Brazil in March of 2003 at a conference sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation, I knew that his was the story we had to tell.

Favela Rising and Rize Further Rise to Organize

2005-12-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

We did an amazing screening of the film in south central Los Angeles this past week. Several of the kids who were in Rize (Miss Prissy, Lil C, and Dragon) came to the screening, got to see Favela Rising and meet Anderson.

They were blown away by the film. So much so that Miss Prissy said to Lil C: "We've got to do that. Tonight, I'll braid your hair and we're gonna talk. We're gonna organize."

It was powerful. After the film, we all talked for a long time. And then Miss Prissy and Lil C invited us out to the parking lot for a krumping session. After some demonstrations of serious quality by the two of them, Anderson himself jumped in and gave it a try. His first effort was impressive! Within seconds, kids from the nearby mall came running over to join. Unfortunately seconds after that security arrived and the fun ended.

It only lasted a few minutes, but it was a powerful few minutes. All language barriers were washed away. We saw some amazing art being performed. Friendships were created. And action was inspired!

(Fortunately some of this was recorded and we are in the process of putting up these clips for download. We will let you know when they are available.)

Download MP3s from the Favela Rising Film Score

2005-12-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

We are happy to announce that you can now listen to and download some of the music from the Favela Rising film score. Go check out Brooklyn-based score composer, Force Theory's wide ranging sound that "combines the melodic phrasing of soul and funk with the frenetic beats of electronica".

Favela Rising Screening: HBO in New York City

2005-12-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow the New York International Latino Film Festival will be hosting a screening of Favela Rising at HBO, located at 1100 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor, between 42nd and 43rd. The screening will take place from 7:00-9:00PM.

Communities Connect at Boyle Heights Favela Rising Screening

2005-12-14T10:49:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

We had another amazing community screening last night in Los Angeles. The folks at Youth Opportunity Movement and Homeboy Industries invited us to screen the film in Boyle Heights. We did so. We screened at Roosevelt High School (which was originally built to house 1200 students and now holds over 5000) at 6pm on Tuesday December 13th. We had to be creative about our projection setup, but in the end, with a laptop and some XLR cables, we got an image and some sound up. A few hundred members of the community were able to see our film. In spite of the less than optimal viewing conditions, the audience reacted very powerfully to the film. People said that they recognized parts of their own reality up on the screen. Anderson was overjoyed. The kids from Homeboy Industries said that they felt that they were starting to have some of the successes that AfroReggae is having. (Coincidentally, the parallels between Homeboy Industries and AfroReggae are eery. Both started in the early 90s. The Vigario massacre happened in ’93. The most murders in Boyle Heights occurred in ’94. Since then, both communities have become tangibly safer and more hopeful.)

Anderson was able to connect with the folks from Boyle Heights directly. Through a Spanish-Portugese mix, no translators were needed. After the screening, Raul Diaz of Homeboy Industries toured us around the community with several gang members that had come with him to the screening. We each got to hear very personal stories and situations. Anderson felt so at home, that when midnight came around, and I realized that I needed to head back to the hotel to sleep. Ando told me that he wanted to stay on with Raul and see more of Boyle Heights. I made Ando promise to be back before the flight to New York this afternoon. That was 8 hours ago. Now I need to see if Ando made it back yet ….

Favela Rising Screening: Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles

2005-12-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight, there will be a screening of Favela Rising at Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Boyle Heights, 456 South Mathews Street, to illustrate the connection between the issues faced by those living in Rio favela Vigário Geral, the subject of Favela Rising, and those that affect the lives of the youth in Boyle Heights. The screening will be held from 6:00-9:00 PM.

Favela Rising Screening: Magic Johnson Theatre in LA

2005-12-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Today, the subjects and filmmakers of Favela Rising and Rize will meet for a screening of Favela Rising at the Magic Johnson Theatre at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4020 Marlton Avenue, in Los Angeles. The screening will be held from 2:00-5:00 PM.

Favela Rising Touring Los Angeles Communities

2005-12-11T17:45:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

At our screening last night, we had a huge treat. Not only was Anderson able to be there and share his personal experience with the audience, but also Raul Diaz, member of Homeboy Industries, came and brought three youth from Boyle Heights. Raul and the three youth (Carlos, Julio and Bebe) connected strongly and viscerally with the film, and Anderson immediately felt a kinship with them. Homeboy Industries is to Los Angeles what AfroReggae is to Rio. It was great to see ambassadors from these kindred groups meet and connect so strongly. Raul and Ando were able to communicate without an interpreter through a half-portugese, half-spanish conversation. It was great to watch …

At the Tribeca screenings in April, many audience members were inspired to donate money to AfroReggae. Junior politely declined all the donation offers. He said: This isn’t a Brazilian problem, it’s a world problem. This problem exists in your own backyard. If you are inspired to help, help your own neighbors. Find a community group in one of the ghettos in your own city. Give them your time and money.

Well, at this LA screening, we brought that very local community group to the screening. It was so satisfying to see inspired audience members come up to Raul and the other Youth Opportunity Movement and Homeboy Industries members after the screenings, and ask how and if they could get involved. The vision is becoming a reality …

To follow up on this great screening, we have scheduled two screenings in the next two days in two of the most violent-torn ghettos of Los Angeles:

On Monday we screen at the Magic Johnson Theater in Englewood, where David LaChapelle (director of Rize) will be joining us as we screen Favela Rising for the subjects of the film Rize. David has become a huge fan of Favela Rising, and he wanted us to share the film with the people he worked with making his movie. We were honored by the invitation and we greatly look forward to having Anderson meet with “favela” residents of LA.

On Tuesday, at the invitation of Raul, Youth Opportunity Movement and Homeboy Industries, we will screen at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, recently known for the most violent and deadly gang activity in Los Angeles. Raul will be touring us around Boyle Heights beforehand, we will be eating at the Homegirl Café, and then screening the film. I look forward to Ando being able to converse directly with the Boyle Heights residents through Portugese/Spanish words.

So, the film is accomplishing the two main goals we had for it:

1. To inspire residents of US ghettos that there is hope of a way out of violence through culture and community-building.
2. To inspire non-ghetto Americans to get involved in helping build their nearby ghettos by working with community groups that already exist in those neighborhoods.

Interview with Jeff Zimbalist about Favela Rising

2005-12-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

In case you are not aware of it, NewEnglandFilm.com has an interview with Director/Producer, Jeff Zimbalist, where he explores his development as a documentarian, the making of Favela Rising, and his hopes for the film's future.

The short term hope is that it does well commercially and critically, that will facilitate the larger hope for the film to do a big outreach campaign. We've been talking with the [several] foundations about funding an outreach campaign where we use the film in other urban areas that face similar adversity as the favelas in Rio de Janeiro face, neglect, abandonment, racism, violence, etc. What AfroReggae is doing is applicable in other urban areas. This kind of development is asset based, it's inside out. My ultimate goal is that [the film] becomes accessible beyond the normal self circulating world of development workers and documentary film lovers and introduces new concepts to the people that it's relevant for.

Matt Mochary Recounts Receiving the IDA for Best Feature

2005-12-10T15:59:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

Jeff, Anderson and I attended the International Documentary Association annual awards gala last night at the DGA in Los Angeles. We were joined by co-cinematographer Kelly Green, Associate Producers Tati Dorow and Adina Matisoff, Executive Producers Ravi Anne and Adam Cohen, and many friends. It was a magical night. Jeff and I felt so honored to be welcomed into the documentary world in such a dramatic way by being awarded our industry association’s highest honor: Best Feature Film of the Year! The real impact hit as we watched the Lifetime Achievement awards go to such legendary filmmakers as DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, editor Kate Amend, and cinematographer Joan Churchill. These people are icons in the documentary world. To share the stage with them, and then to hang out with them afterward and listen to their incredible stories (Joan has a great one about filming “Gimme Shelter”!), made the magnitude of the honor hit home.

Anderson, as always, was a magnet of affection. He received many hugs throughout the evening. We also had a fun moment when we went up on stage to accept the award. Anderson joined us on stage. He had told me beforehand that he wanted to say a few words. He told me what they were. Since I could translate what he was saying there was no need to bring a professional translator up on the stage with us. But when Anderson started to speak on stage, he started to say things that were different than what we had gone over before. My portuguese is good, but not perfect. So, in a humbling but funny moment, I had to admit to the audience that I didn’t understand everything that he had said, but I translated what I could and said that the rest “sounded nice”, I just didn’t know exactly what it was. Later, my girlfriend (who is Brazilian) told me that he had indeed said the exact same things we had reviewed earlier, but when he was on stage he had simply used different words (more formal and poetic words that I wasn’t used to hearing) than before.

It all ended with a good laugh, which is all that matters!

Favela Rising Screenings: IDA DocFest, Black Soil, and Bahamas

2005-12-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Today, Favela Rising will have screenings at the International Documentary Association DocFest, Black Soil International Film Festival, and Bahamas International Film Festival. Screening times follow in order of appearance:

Bahamas International Film Festival
Nassau
Location: Atlantis Theatre
Saturday, December 10 - 1:00PM

IDA DocFest
Los Angeles
Location: Eastman Kodak Screening room
Saturday, Dec. 10 – 3:05 PM

Black Soil Film Festival
Amsterdam
Location: Kleine Zaal
Saturday, Dec. 10 – 11:00 PM

The Hollywood Reporter Discusses Favela Rising's IDA Win

2005-12-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

HollywoodReporter.com celebrates Favela Rising's "outpacing (of) a strong field of contenders" for the International Documentary Association Best Feature award, the growing public role and success of the documentary in general, as well as possible implications of the IDA for the Academy Award. In discussing these implications, Scott Tobias reviews the following:

In years past, the IDA Awards have not only been a semireliable bellwether for the Academy Awards but also virtually the only bellwether for the docu category. This has been especially true of the several years since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences formed a documentary branch, creating a situation where, in Ruch's words, "documentaries are voted on by documentarians." It also helps that the IDA's DocuFest in August qualifies many entries by giving them the theatrical run required for an Academy nomination, especially if they have no distributor.

Global Peace Film Festival Starts with Favela Rising

2005-12-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

Indiewire reported that the Global Peace Film Festival opened with Favela Rising. As Indiewire comments, the Orlando, Florida festival's mission "is the promotion of peace and peacemaking activities around the world through film". We just want to add that we are thrilled to be a part of that mission and help start off the festival. Screening times follow:

Friday, Dec 09 - 8:30 pm
Location: Cineplex

Favela Rising Screening: Anchorage International Film Festival

2005-12-09T07:44:00.000-05:00

Favela Rising will be showing today at the Anchorage International Film Festival. Screening times follow:

Friday 12/9 - 8:00 pm
Anchorage Museum

More on Anderson Sá's Trip to the US

2005-12-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

Following up on yesterday's post, we have more details on Anderson Sá's visit. He will be here in Los Angeles and New York from December 9th through December 16th to attend the IDA award ceremony and screenings hosted in both Los Angeles and New York. Most importantly, he will be joining Jeff and me as we go to teach classes and attend screenings in Los Angeles public schools and several low-income communities. This is the part that is most exciting for us and the part Ando enjoys above all. He loves to do the AfroReggae thing, no matter where he is in the world!

3 Members of Rio Favela Percussion Ensemble Killed by Police

2005-12-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

The blog Squatter City followed up on Reuters yesterday and reported that three boys and a 24 year old man had been shot by police.

The boys, all members of Bateria Nosso Sonho, a percussion ensemble in favela Morro do Estado in Niteroi, had gone out to buy sodas, their families said. Witnesses said one of the youths was shot in the head after he was already wounded. Another dead youth, shot in the head, was found nearby, but it was not clear whether he was a victim of the same police action.

Amnesty International has called on the Brazilian government to rein in rogue cops who are executing innocents in the favelas.

Squatter City links to the same Amnesty International report to which we linked in our earlier post on this subject.

Following up on a Houston Chronicle article, Squatter City reported in another post the same day that

more than 4,000 people have died over the past five years in the Brazilian beach city's war on drug gangs in the favelas. More than 900 have died so far this year at the hands of the police--some of them killed execution-style.

To be fair, the police note that, on average, one officer is killed each week in the famed beachfront city.

Still, favela residents, most of whom abhor the traficantes, hate the police more. They feel the cops are part of the problem (and in league with the traffickers), not part of the solution.

Anderson Sá of Favela Rising Visits US and Supports Young Filmmakers

2005-12-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

Anderson Sá of AfroReggae will be coming to the United States this week to attend several screenings of Favela Rising. As you can imagine, travel is not easy for him (especially sitting for 13 hours in a plane), but he is committed to the message of the film. He will be coming to receive with us the IDA award for Best Feature Film. In his ongoing commitment to supporting the artistic endeavors of youth and their communities, Anderson will also be joining us for a class at San Pedro High School as part of the IDA's "Docs Rock" program. We will be meeting with young filmmakers at this public school to share them with them the possibility that they can overcome the hurdles they face and make their films.

Favela Rising March Theatrical Release in UK

2005-12-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

We are thrilled to announce the UK theatrical release of Favela Rising, which will be playing throughout the United Kingdom in March 2006 and will coincide with the UK tour of AfroReggae.

AwardSpeculation.com Picks Favela Rising for Top 5 Academy Spot

2005-12-06T16:52:00.001-05:00

AwardSpeculation.com predicts that Favela Rising will get the top 5 Academy Award nomination pick along with March of the Penguins, Murderball, Rize, and Mad Hot Ballroom.

You can read all of the picks here.

Favela Rising Screening: Santa Fe Film Festival

2005-12-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

Favela Rising will be showing at the Santa Fe Film Festival tomorrow and Friday. Screening times follow:

Santa Fe Film Festival
Dec. 7 – 7:30
Dec. 9 – 10:00
Center for Contemporary Arts

IDA Gala and Screening Friday and Saturday

2005-12-05T08:51:00.000-05:00

Favela Rising is the Independent Documentary Association's Film Of The Year (sharing the award with Our Brand Is Crisis).

The 21st Annual IDA Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards Gala is this Friday at the Directors Guild of America in LA.

It will be followed by a 3:05 pm screening and Q&A with the directors at next day's IDA Docufest.

UCLA Doc Salon Screening of Favela Rising a Success

2005-12-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Jeff Zimbalist:

Last Thursday night, Favela screened at the UCLA Doc Salon (in collaboration with Melnitz Movies). The 270 seat theater was very full and the Q&A went for an hour, delving into many topics and discussions. The crowd was blown away.

Favela Rising Directors Return for the Rio Film Festival

2005-12-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

Jeff and I went to Rio de Janeiro last month for the film's Brazilian premiere at the Rio Film Festival. We had 5 regularly scheduled screenings, the most of any of the 600 films in the festival, including some Hollywood blockbuster types. Each Favela screening was sold out and the festival added an additional 5 screenings, the only film with added screenings (as far as I know).

That was a tremendous success, but more importantly, Jeff and I got to visit with our friends in Vigario Geral and see the continuing great work that they are doing.

There were two highlights for us:

1. We got to see Richard Murillo. He has joined AfroReggae and no longer dreams of becoming a trafficker. He is a sweet kid, and he says that he liked the movie.

2. About 3 months ago, Afro Reggae had what I consider to be its greatest success. If Anderson's journey started as a mission to end the violence, and over the past 12 years, he and the other members of the group have greatly succeeded in that mission, their most symbolic success may have occurred just recently. Three months ago Junior met with 4 of the top traffickers in Vigario Geral and gave them an offer to leave the traffic. He said that he had legitimate jobs for them, but he couldn't pay them much. Junior could only offer RS$500 per month, which is the equivalent of about US$200 per month. Its not much, but its legitimate.

All four of the traffickers accepted the offer. One of the ones who accepted the offer was the head of the traffic in Vigario. He choose to join Afro Reggae as a way to put the violence behind him.

As the statistic in the film points out, an average salary for a black, male, Brazilian adult is US$13 per week. An average salary for a drug-trafficker is US$650 per week. In this most recent visit to the favela, we learned that with the higher supply of youth interested in drug-trafficking positions, the average wage has likely gone down though still the highest paid employment by a long shot.

Jeff and I had the chance to spend many hours with each of the ex-traffickers. They told us their stories. They feel so blessed that there was an escape route for them, that Afro Reggae exists. They are so happy for their decision.

If anything proves to me that the crisis in the Favela is one of economics and lack of opportunity, this is it. In the past, drug trafficking brought in a lot more money and that was its allure. Now the sad reality is that drug trafficking does not bring in nearly as much money, but remains attractive because it brings in more than the apparent alternatives. The head of the drug traffic in a Favela quit in order to make $200 per month, or $2,400 dollars per year. (In terms of what that money can buy, it is effectively the same as making $6,000 per year living in the US.) And that trafficker says that he now has a better life and lifestyle.

So drug trafficking does not pay. That makes it even more tragic that some Favela youth choose that path, since the other alternatives are even less attractive.

All Afro Reggae is doing is bringing education to the Favela. There is no government school in Vigario Geral. Afro Reggae is the school. That alone has provided enough skills to create jobs which lead to some money which lead to youth quitting the drug traffic.

It is a simple formula. Afro Reggae has started it. I hope that others follow.

Touring the Favelas

2005-12-04T12:03:00.000-05:00

Off the beaten track, a travel piece in the Boston Globe's online publication (Boston.com) talks about travel tours inside the Favelas and provides a look at some of what is seen there and why and how people from outside the community are going in:

''It's not violence," he says ominously. ''It's a war."

I am sitting in an open-air jeep on my way to two of Rio's infamous favelas, the sprawling shantytowns whose terrible poverty and drug violence were the subject of Fernando Meirelles's critically acclaimed 2002 film, ''City of God." An estimated 1.5 million people live in the city's more than 800 favelas. Crumbling concrete and terra cotta block houses cling to rocky cliffs like vast anthills. Sewage flows openly down the hillsides. Teenage traffickers patrol the alleyways with AK-47s slung across their chests.

For decades, the idea of bringing foreign tourists into the favelas would have been deemed suicide.

Of course, these kinds of communities is also the backdrop for Favela Rising, and now some activists, artists and even tourists are going in. The very interesting piece by Marion Lloyd is here.

Favela Rising at the The Beloit International Film Festival January 19 - 22

2005-12-03T08:28:00.000-05:00

The Beloit International Film Festival is a first year event in conjuntion with Beloit College in Beloit Wisconsin. Fevala Rising is among the 60 or so films that will screen there this year and is one of the films profiled in this piece in the Beloit Daily News. The festival site will have info about screenings.

Favela Rising at Anchorage International Film Festival

2005-12-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

Screening tonight at Anchorage Museum of History and Art. (schedule)

Amnesty International: "They Come In Shooting"

2005-12-02T08:48:00.000-05:00

Amnesty international has released a report on conditions in Brazil. The report is by Amnesty U.K. and surveys the violence country wide, but includes a special focus on the violence in the inner city.

Their news release points to a hard hitting report issued today, “Brazil: ‘They come in Shooting’: Policing socially excluded communities.”

Amnesty's Brazil Researcher Tim Cahill: “Brazil’s public security strategy has abandoned the country’s poor and sentenced all Brazilians to crime and violence."

...far from reducing crime, discriminatory public security policies have concentrated criminal violence and human rights violations in Brazil’s shanty towns.

The report reveals policing on the basis of “invasions” of poor communities or favelas, often using collective warrants discriminating whole communities at a stroke; extreme levels of human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions and torture; and widespread corruption at the hands of elements within the police.

The news release concludes with some overwhelming statistics on violence in Brazil that you have to see. There will be more on this report in the coming days.

On The Filming Of Favela Rising

2005-12-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

When it ran at the Northampton Independent Film Festival, The Republican's Mass Live had a nice piece on the making of Favela Rising and the director behind it.

Surrounded by stories of the world falling apart, filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist wanted to make movies about communities that work, where vital and inspiring people battle successfully against the odds.

He found his subject in a Rio de Janeiro slum, where a drug trafficker used novel means to stem violence after the murders of his family and many friends.

Zimbalist, a Northampton native, spent more than three years filming in the favela - Brazilian squatter settlement - and the result was the documentary "Favela Rising."

Pair this piece with the Director's Statement from Jeff at the Favela Rising official site for a good look at where the film comes from.

The Theatrical Poster For Favela Rising

2005-12-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

The Oscar Nominations Foreseen by Cinematical

2005-12-01T00:19:00.000-05:00

We want to try to catch you to some of the press relating to the film and the Academy Awards, starting with this piece at Cinematical. Kim Voynar breaks down the Best Documentary short listed class of 2006 and offers a couple of possible outcomes for Favela Rising.

I think the most likely scenario for the five Oscar noms looks like this: March of the Penguins; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Favela Rising; 39 Pounds of Love; and After Innocence. An alternative scenario might have the most well-publicized of the contenders -- Penguins, Murderball, Enron, and Mad Hot Ballroom -- making the cut, with a fifth film, maybe Boys of Baraka, or Favela Rising, getting in there to round things out, but I think that scenario is less likely.

Kim also does a nice job running down all the films and their merits, and provide a little background on how competitive the field is this year. Recommended for a good early look at the awards.

SFGate Article Describes Two Brazils

2005-11-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

An article in the SFGate, celebrating the debut of a TV station directed by and toward Afro-Brazilians, discusses the racist history of a country

whose black citizens (Afro-Brazilians) make up almost half of Brazil's 180 million population, yet account for 63 percent of its poorest residents, who are approximately half as likely to have access to basic sanitation as Brazilian whites.

Though a different city, the article goes on to discuss the causes and conditions of favelas and the history of slavery in Brazil.

In Sao Paulo the sprawling red-brick favelas, slums that encircle the city center, are largely made up of Afro-Brazilians. Many Brazilians refer to the favela as the modern day senzala, the slave quarters where nearly 4 million African slaves were forced to live between 1550 and 1888, when slavery was finally abolished here.

You can read the full article here.

December 1st Screenings of Favela Rising in New York and LA

2005-11-30T11:57:00.000-05:00

Two screenings of Favela Rising are scheduled for December 1st. One will be held in Los Angeles and the other in New York City.

In LA, Favela Rising will be screening at the UCLA Documentary Salon, hosted by UCLA film professor Marina Goldovskaya.

In NYC, Favela Rising will be screening at Show (41st Street) and will be hosted by the New York Post.

Favela Rising is IDA's Best Feature

2005-11-30T10:10:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

The International Documentary Association will be awarding its annual Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards at their annual awards banquet in Los Angeles on December 9th.

The IDA has informed us that Favela Rising has won this year's award for Best Feature!

This is an incredible honor. Jeff and I will both be attending the award's ceremony in LA.

Filmmakers are inspired to action after making Favela Rising ...

2005-11-29T20:31:00.000-05:00

From Director/Producer Matt Mochary:

Something recently happened to me that proves to me that sometimes doing a little bit really can make a difference. People do notice. And impact is created. Our own efforts may seem small. But you never know when the big boy is going to come along and say: "I like what you're doing. Now, let's go make it 100 times bigger." You just never know.

After working with AfroReggae on Favela Rising and getting to know the power of their model (teaching practical skills to kids in under-served communities), I decided that I wanted to do something myself in my own community. So, about a year ago, I started The Mochary Foundation. At the time I was living in Miami, so one of the first things I did was start a Filmmaking Workshop at North Miami Beach High School (one of the tougher Miami-area high schools). I brought in a partner, a USC Film School grad named Mike Barnes to teach 6 kids for 3 hours/day after school each day to make film. And after our first semester, 2 of the kids got paying jobs (we consider this a big success!). We are now in our second semester of the program.

Three weeks ago, less than 10 months after we started the program, I received a call from the office of Rudy Crew, Superintendent of Miami/Dade County Public Schools. Rudy has identified the worst high school in Miami as Edison High in Overton, where about 90% of the student body has not passed the state's proficiency exam (the FCAT), and many students do not have verbal fluency in English. The Superintendent wants to revamp the 1200 person school into four 300-to-400-student academies, each offering practical education, and each hopefully acting one day as a magnet program for students from all over Miami.

One of the academies will be an Entertainment Academy. The Superintendent's office wanted to talk to The Mochary Foundation about running the Entertainment Academy. (I know it sounds crazy. How can a totally new group like the Foundation, teaching a part-time course for 6 students, be interviewing to run a 400-student fulltime public high school? But we interviewed anyway ...) We interviewed with the Superintendent's office and the Edison principal last month.

Two weeks ago I spoke to the Superintendent's office again. They have selected The Mochary Foundation to run the Entertainment Academy at Edison. (Even crazier!) They would like the academy to open in the fall of 2006!

Miami/Dade school district will fund the academy. The Mochary Foundation, through Mike Barnes, will create the curriculum, hire the teachers and run the school.

Its an incredible honor. Its also a mammoth responsibility.

We have a huge amount of work in front of us. Neither I, nor Mike Barnes, has ever run a school before. But we will do our best.

I just wanted to share this with you, because I myself wondered whether we were having any (or would ever have any) real impact with our little part-time after-school filmmaking program. And I guess its just good to know, that even if the end goal isn't clear when you start, it doesn't mean that it isn't worth starting. I guess its always worth starting. Sometimes it won't go anywhere. But sometimes it will ...

About the Favela Rising Blog

2005-11-29T20:08:00.000-05:00

This site is to give you regular updates on screenings and other information regarding the documentary film, Favela Rising. Though receiving input from the directors and producers of the film, this is not the official site for Favela Rising. For trailers, pictures, multimedia and a look at the film, please visit www.favelarising.com.