BRAZIL: British documentary about Brazilian slum dancers is screened in Rio favela

Record ID: 220332

  • Title: BRAZIL: British documentary about Brazilian slum dancers is screened in Rio favela
  • Date: 3rd October 2009
  • Summary: CLOSE OF FILM PROJECTOR LIGHT PEOPLE WATCHING BRITISH DOCUMENTARY "ONLY WHEN I DANCE"
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Reuters ID: LVA1GSNXZT2SFMVYENNBKVVC06KT
  • Story Text: A British documentary about two young black ballet dancers from a Rio de Janeiro favela was screened on Tuesday (September 29) night in the heart of one of the city's largest and most violent slums.
    Dozens gathered in Rio's Complexo do Alemao slum to watch "Only When I Dance", which tells the story of 18-year-old Irlan Silva and 17-year-old Isabela Coracy who struggle to make it as ballet dancers on the world stage.
    The film, directed by Beadie Finzi, premiered the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and was praised by several movie critics.
    The documentary follows the two teenagers in their long-hour trainings and trials for prestigious dance companies around the world.
    Silva, the film's main character, said the documentary showed another side of the favela.
    "It is a great joy that I'm feeling today to share this moment and see everyone watching my film, my entire family, the people who live here in the community (favela), and to show that here, in the Complexo do Alemao, we don't have violence only, but also a lot talent, a lot of culture for the entire world," he said after the screening.
    His mother, Maria da Penha Silva, did not hold back her emotions as she watched her son twirl on the big screen. Silva said she was proud to see her son rise above the difficulties of being poor and black.
    "They showed the difficulties that ballet dancers face and, being black, they face many difficulties. But also it showed that many overcome that with strength and determination. The world fits everyone," she said.
    Finzi, who lives in London, said she sought to tell an uplifting story against a backdrop of difficulties faced by many working-class families in Brazil.
    "We had been looking at social projects in the favela, when we came across this dance school. Suddenly, there was this opportunity to follow these two kids trying to realize the almost impossible dream. How can kids coming from this context, this background, aspire to leave here and join a ballet company in the north? I mean, it was impossible," she said.
    At the Brazilian premiere, the filmmakers launched a charity fund to support the social work of a famous dance school (Centro de Dança Rio) in Rio, where Silva and Coracy had scholarships.
    The fund will provide training, medical assistance, costumes and air tickets for low-income teens who share the same dream as the characters in the film.
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