Brazil / 1982 / 114mins / Historical Drama / Portuguese

This historical saga of runaway slave communities of northeastern Brazil is a stirring fusion of folklore, politics, and dynamic storytelling set to the pulsing beat of Gilberto Gil’s musical score. It chronicles the most famous of these self-governing communities which flourished under reign of the legendary Ganga Zumba.

Carlos Diegues

Carlos Diegues, born May 19, 1940 in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, studied law in Rio de Janeiro, while also running film clubs. He became a film critic and directed short films imbued with social realism. A pioneer of Cinéma Novo, in particular with Glauber Rocha, he sought to imprint Brazilian filmmaking on the national consciousness. His first feature films Ganga Zumba (1963) and A Grande Cidade (The Big City - 1966), spoke of his dream of a fairer world. He then went on to direct Os Herdeiros (1969), Joanna Francesa (1975) with Jeanne Moreau and Xica da Silva (1976) which ushered in a period of great popularity for Brazilian cinema, reinforced by the success of Summer Showers (1978) an Official Selection at Cannes Film Festival, as were Bye Bye Brazil (1979), Quilombo (1982) and Um Trem para as estrelas (Subway to the Stars - 1988). His exploration of popular culture continued with Veja esta Canção (1994) and Orfeu (2000). In 2006, he won the Best Film Award at the Montreal Festival, for The Greatest Love in the World. Learn More