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Mr.
Catra O Fiel 2005, 59 mins This is the first documentary about Baile Funk: a remarkable form of music developed in the shantytowns of Rio de Janeiro. For the millions of people residing in the favelas and periferia of Rio, Mr Catra is one of the biggest stars of Baile Funk. Backed by a massive sound inferno of peak-volume bass and beats, Mr Catra sings about life in the favelas, about the ongoing wars with other criminal gangs and the military police, about sex and about hope for the future. Baile Funk combines the MPC3000-sampler beats of electro and Miami bass, rap and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. Mr Catra's lyrics are so explicit that the Brazilian police have coined the term Funk Proibido and have outlawed this particular genre of Baile Funk. According to Mr Catra, however, his music is only reflecting the reality of the favelas. Mr Catra calls himself O Fiel, The Faithful, and he is indeed very faithful, in his own way, to God and to his facção, Comando Vermelho, the most powerful criminal organization in Brazil. Mr Catra, 36 years of age, is no longer actively engaged in criminal activities. Instead, he leads a hectic family life with his "wives" (the mothers of his nine children), and a dozen steady girlfriends, all of whom he struggles to support through Baile Funk. This film offers you an insight into a unique part of Rio de Janeiro that the official Brazilian society abstains from acknowledging. Poverty-ridden and druglord-controlled, the favelas, for the most part, are totally inaccessible to cameras. This film is the exception. |
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Brown
Like Dat 2005, 34 mins "Brown Like dat: South Asians and Hip-Hop" gives a voice to South Asians MCs, beatboxers, spoken word artists and producers. With hip-hop as its lens, this documentary is a colorful portrait of the rainbow of political ideals, social messages and experiences that is in part young South Asian Americans today, revealing an emerging layer of this second generation community. Through their music and lives, these artists speak on everything from racial profiling post 9/11 to identity in second-generation immigrant communities, forcing us to question traditional South Asian existence in America in fresh new ways. **Featured Artists: Abstract Vision Humanity, Chee Malabar from Himalayan Project, D'Lo, Jugular, Karmacy, and MC Kabir.** Read Interview with Director Raeshem Nijhon |
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Soundz
of Spirit 2005, 60 mins Venturing into uncharted territory, Soundz of Spirit draws connections between the creative freedom and the spiritual outlet that the hip hop culture provides for the current generation. Capturing artists in their moments of inspiration and taking an in-depth look at their creative processes, this documentary highlights the positive values of the hip hop culture, boldly expressing perspectives on community, ethnicity, racism, creativity, spirituality and activism. While most of the artists featured in Soundz of Spirit hail from the West Coast's underground scene, all of them are fiercely independent creative forces whose contributions to the social elevation of hip hop have been frequently and prominently portrayed in mainstream media. See Trailer. |
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Just
to Get a Rep 2005, 94 mins. More than thirty years ago, the youth of New York's neglected neighborhoods started a revolution by spray-painting their names on subway trains. The energy and freedom of this expression has inspired generations of youth throughout the world, yet the established authorities and institutions continually deny its merit. Working against the powers of the media, the police, and the art world, aerosol artists have developed a unique worldwide culture based on respect, camaraderie and a shared struggle to re-claim and re-create their environments. Just to Get a Rep rigorously examines the love-hate relationship between graffiti and hip-hop. Hear the true story of aerosol art as told by New York's pioneers as well as today's innovators from all over the world. Visit the official site. See Trailer |
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Nobody
Knows My Name |
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Jails.
Hospitals, and Hip-Hop 2004, 80 mins. Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop is a cinematic tour de force that is unprecedented in film or hip-hop history. From the mind of Brooklyn actor, performance artist and hip-hop activist Danny Hoch, this film spins out the stories of ten lives shocked by global hip-hop, the prison system and life in general. Moving masterfully in and out of the characters while the camera cuts from film narrative to live performances, Danny blows your mind and makes you look at cultural power in a new way that is hysterically funny, tragically sad and uplifting all at once. ails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop is a cinematic tour de force that is unprecedented in film or hip-hop history. From the mind of Brooklyn actor, performance artist and hip-hop activist Danny Hoch, this film spins out the stories of ten lives shocked by global hip-hop, the prison system and life in general. Moving masterfully in and out of the characters while the camera cuts from film narrative to live performances, Danny blows your mind and makes you look at cultural power in a new way that is hysterically funny, tragically sad and uplifting all at once. Visit the official website. |
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