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Take Buena Vista Social Club, pump the volume up to 11 (Spinal Tap style), and crank the colour beyond garish. This musical road movie is a 4,000km journey of discovery into the musicians, singers and dancers in Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco and Bahia - three Brazilian states that symbolise Brazil's musical diversity and history. From live concert footage to spontaneous recordings on gritty back streets, Sound of Brazil offers much more than the familiar rhythms of Bossa Nova and Samba. Starting in infancy, the daily staple of music is built on a rich history that embraces indigenous Indo populations as well as influences from Africa, Portugal and Arab nations.
Finnish-born filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki's (brother of Aki) previous MIFF entries Tigrero (1994) and LA Without a Map (1999) left an indelible impression on Festival audiences. Here he delivers a spirited road trip as free and spontaneous as the music itself. With extensive knowledge of Brazilian music - Kaurismäki has lived in Rio for the past 10 years - the result is a thorough survey of the country's aural riches.
Mika Kaurismäki (born in Orimattila, Finland in 1955) has been a producer and director since 1980, making his first film, Amazon, in Brazil in 1990. His other films include Tigrero (1993) and Sambólico (1996). He has lived in Rio de Janeiro for the last ten years, where he owns a club on the Corcovado Mountain.