Artesanato do Samba

Carnaval Claudia Leitte: We Can Do It!

March 2021 •Portuguese

Filhos de João, O Admirável Mundo Novo Baiano

July 2011 •Portuguese

A panorama of Brazilian popular music from the 60s and 70s through the musical group Novos Baianos. A retrospective of the community lifestyle adopted by its members and the influence inherited from singer João Gilberto.

Always for Pleasure

May 1978 •English

An intense insider's portrait of New Orleans' street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo: Second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers and more. This glorious, soul-satisfying film is among Blank's special masterworks. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.

Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed People

January 1984 •English

An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. This short film has become essential for discussions of racism, African American cinema, and empowerment.

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans

April 2008 •English

The true story of the neighborhood that inspired David Simon's fictional HBO television series "Tremé", from slave revolts and underground free black antebellum resistance through post-Katrina rebuilding, set to a fabulous soundtrack of New Orleans music through the ages.

Carnaval 65

January 1965 •Portuguese

TETHERS

September 2023 •English

Prepare for an eye-opening journey into the heart of identity and division. 'Tethers' is a groundbreaking interview-style documentary that delves deep into the complex tapestry of cultural differences, racial tension, and the ethnocentric divide between Africans, African Americans, and Foundation Black Americans.

O Carnaval é de Pelé

December 2024 •Portuguese

This short film follows Pelé, a retired nurse who looks back on his time as a Mateus in the century-old Bumba Meu Boi group, Boi Tira-Teima. As he builds a new boi for the festival, he revisits the defining moments of his journey as a performer, carnival artist, and son of Mestre Gerson, the group’s former patriarch. The film explores how the way we carry our memories of the past shapes who we become in the present.

Cuceteiras VII: "Cucexeira?"

May 2025 •Portuguese

A documentary about Olinda Carnival 2025 that everyone was asking for but that's it, right? Cinema fernanda torres oscar we're going to smile smile

A Doll Like Me

October 2023 •Dutch

The Amsterdam doll shop Colorful Goodies sells Barbies, boy dolls, and cuddly dolls that every child can recognize; from dolls with different skin colors and professions, to dolls with disabilities. This documentary follows three families of color who take home a doll. What does such a doll mean for your self-image if you struggle with it because you are of color, or because you have to learn to live with albinism? Is our dominant white society as tolerant as we think?

Los pueblos dormidos (por la Quebrada de Humahuaca)

June 1947 •Spanish

Documentary about the kolla people living in North Western Argentina.

É o Boi

February 2024 •Portuguese

"É o Boi" is a documentary that narrates the origins, portrays the present and discusses the perspectives of carnival in the city of Porto Ferreira/SP. Celebrating a tradition that already is already 90 years old, the film is mainly made up of images taken during the Porto Ferreira's carnival and interviews with people who fight daily to keep this unique and at the same time typically Brazilian cultural manifestation alive. Made over almost a decade, "É o Boi" also portrays critical moments of this carnival in the countryside of São Paulo, including disagreements with public authorities that almost led to the carnival being banned and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the organization of celebrations.

It's Different in Chicago

September 2021 •English

It's Different In Chicago Tells the story of how House music and Hip Hop culture complemented and competed with each other leading to deep revelations about the different segments within the Black community of Chicago.

Sou Carnaval de São Salvador

January 2019 •Portuguese

Sonho de um Carnaval

October 2003 •Portuguese

Candico

September 1985 •Spanish

A Raça Síntese de Joãosinho Trinta

October 2009 •Portuguese

Alegria, Viva o Bloco Não é Não

June 2024 •Portuguese

Cesta za tancem

January 2021 •Czech

Het Geheim van Carnaval

February 2023 •Dutch