Tia Surica

Samba on Your Feet explores the shared roots of Carnival and Samba in Brazil and how they’ve come together to form a unique and vibrant culture. The journey begins behind the scenes of Rio de Janeiro’s Samba schools. Here, we witness the hard work and dedication of choreographers, dancers, musicians, and costume makers coming together in the spirit of teamwork and collaboration to create a spectacle that celebrates the infectious rhythms of Samba. The camera of Montes-Bradley also explores nearby favelas, where the audience discovers more links between Carnival and Samba and learns about the cultural history linking both to common African traditions. Cultural historian Haroldo Costa is our host on this pilgrimage to the roots, illuminating the importance of Samba in Brazilian culture and explaining its influences on Carnival.

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.

A film that depicts the everyday life and the beauty of Portela’s Old Folk – a group of veteran samba musicians who belong to one of Rio’s most revered samba schools, the one with the most first places and accolades in Rio’s Carnaval pageant. These old gentelmen’s and ladies’ musicality and poetry are unveiled through their simple, but rich and meaningful, every day life in Oswaldo Cruz, a quaint neighborhood in Rio’s North Zone, that serves both as set and as a main character in this story.

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.

The life and work of the late samba singer-songwriter Candeia.

Documentary about Brazilian samba songwriter and singer Paulinho da Viola, one of the most sophisticated musicians of the genre. The film shows his biography, influences, masters and friends, as well his simple and peculiar way of life, with activities like restoring old cars, working with wood, playing billiards.

By day, Olímpia runs the supermarket. By night, in the same space, Eraldo runs a samba school. With love and humor, they will go to great lengths to harmonize this unusual shared existence.