favela rising be a documentary about the slum of rio and the favelas and specifically the most violent one and vigário geral . accord to this film and a lot more kid have die violently in rio favelas over the last decade or so than in israel or palestine during the same period a fact astonish if true and which show how under recognize this social problem be in the rest of the world . this be an important topic and especially for those who see hope in grassroots effort to marshal the needy and most at risk through a vibrant cultural program . this be a compelling documentary and if occasionally mar by a somewhat too personality base version of event and by grainy digital video and film that sometimes may make you think you need to have your eye examine . drug lord rule in the favelas and gun tot teenage boy be the main drug dealer and like in part of colombia . fernando meirelles movie city of god or cidade de deus have be accuse of celebrate violence ( cidade de deus be another of rio many favelas ) . but the early section of favela rising show that in fact favela boy do celebrate violence and want to deal drug where the money and the action be . it cool to carry a gun there and cool to work a a drug trafficker represent it fifty time more profitable than the earnings available by other mean . mochary first discover the afroreggae movement and it leader anderson sá and josé junior while visit rio for a conference and quickly persuade his friend and mentor zimbalist to quit his job and come down to help make a film with his own promise to fund it . sá eloquence and charisma and a startling twist in his life make him the center of the film and it chief narrator and but like the favelas themselves the film teems with other people . no doubt about the fact that sá be a remarkable leader and organizer and and artist . vigário geral be compare to bosnia represent shoot there be very dangerous . anderson sá friendship and protection and caution and diplomacy in the shooting enable the filmmaker to gain access and shoot detailed footage of their subject matter while ( mostly represent there be close call ) avoid any serious confrontation with drug lord or drug deal cop . they also train boy to use camera and leave them there on trip home . that result in 10 % of the footage and include rare shot of violent incident include police beating . it hard for an outsider to keep track of police massacre in rio . there be one in the early 1990 that loom over the story and inspire sá and who end his own early involvement in drug trafficking to lead his cultural movement . the cop be all over the drug trade and if anybody doesn not like that the ill train police paramilitary come in ( often wear black ski mask ) and shoot up a neighborhood and kill a lot of innocent . this be pretty much the picture we get in meirelles city of god and except that this time sá and junior and and the other guy come in and start in vigário geral but spread out eventually to a number of other favelas to give percussion class that attract dozen of youth girl as well a boy . their afroreggae ( grupo cultural afroreggae or gcar ) program and form in 1993 and be a new alternative way of life for young black men in the rio ghetto . it lead them to leave behind smoking and alcohol and and drug ( that the rule ) to explode into rap and song and percussion and and gymnastics in expressive and galvanic performance . eventually the best of the performer lead by sá wind up appear before big local audience with local producer and and their banda afroreggae have an international recording contract . other center and group have be create by or through the gcar over the year in vigário geral and other favelas to seek the betterment of youth by provide training and stag performance of music and capoeira and theater and hiphop and dance at gcar center . the performance art aren not everything and just the focal point . gcar be also a movement for broad social change gather public awareness through such performance and the center also provide train in information ( newspaper and radio and internet and e mail link ) and hygiene and sex education and to seek to bridge gap between rich and poor and black and white and and to offer workshop in audio visual work and include production of documentary . the program be currently active in four other favelas . there be many scene of favela street and home life in favela rise and they look very much like the image in city of god with the important difference that the focus and outcome be very and very much more positive . not that it isn not an uphill battle . and the corruption of the police and the inequity of the social system and and the indifference of the general population of brazil be not directly address by any of this . but there a scene where sá talk to some young kid in another favela and cynical boy not enthusiastic about afroreggae and determine to work in the drug trade a sá himself do a a boy . sá doesn not seem to be convince any of them despite point out that trafficker do not make it to the age of fifty . but we learn that the most negative boy in this group and richard morale and join the movement five month later . there also the account of a freak accident that disable sá and but with a positive outcome . it would be great if the image be sharp and clear and if the story be edit down a little and but this be vibrant and inspiring material and represent commit and risk take documentary film making and it nice that favela rising have be include in seven film festival and win a number of award and include best new documentary filmmaker at the tribeca film festival . it currently be show at the institute of contemporary art ( ica ) in london . however and a wide art house audience in the u seem somewhat unlikely . include in the sfiff 2006 .