Showcase: Heavy Baile

With this showcase, we shed light on a unique experience that combines film, music, diversity, culture, technology, and debate. The documentary Heavy Baile Mixtape III is the latest film by Hugo Inglez, in which he collaborates with Heavy Baile’s founder Leo Justi and the legendary choreographer Léo Garcia. They create a collective dance performance deeply rooted in the syncretic street culture of Rio de Janeiro. The film delivers a rich semiotics with elements from history, sociology, sports, Afro-Brazilian religions, Brazilian pop culture, and folklore, narrated through a frenetic language of movement, particularly ‘Passinho Foda’ – a syncretic dance style originating in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and a pillar of Baile Funk.

Baile Funk is historically connected to black identity, counterculture, and class struggle in the poor areas of Rio de Janeiro. Despite social stigmatization and state-sponsored repression, Baile Funk remains immensely popular and is recognized as cultural heritage of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The conversation after the screening will delve deeper into the visual ethnography of the documentary, exploring the symbolic cultural elements and contexts as part of the film’s rich content. Also, the production technical challenges will be discussed, creating an innovative listening experience for the audience. The bass is recorded with exaggerated intensity, so the sound physically vibrates the space, such as the walls, windows, and floor. This refers to the original sound walls built for the bailes.