The best Beth Carvalho’s movies

Between scenes from his concert in São Paulo's oft-inaccessible Theatro Municipal, rapper and activist Emicida celebrates the rich legacy of Black Brazilian culture.

ABC of a Strike captures the 1979 metal workers strikes outside of São Paulo. The footage sat untouched until after the death of highly-regarded director Leon Hirszman in 1987, by which time the material had a new relevance. The gripping film captures the negotiations between the labor unions and the factory bosses and shows the birth of the region’s Worker’s Party, as well as the emergence of its charismatic leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Rising from extreme poverty, Lula gained national prominence as a union activist during the late 70s and early 80s. After being jailed during his time as a union leader, he eventually becomes Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010.

A year of hard work, thousands of people involved, the choice of a great samba, the death of their official vocalist for 17 years, lots of sweat, tears and love, made Carnival 2016 extremely special. Behind the scenes of the biggest samba school on the planet, Estação Primeira de Mangueira, after 14 years without winning the contest, the entire universe created for Mangueira's parade, which is an international carnival icon, was documented for the first time, from the first step to the title of best samba school in 2016.