QUILOMBO COUNTRY, New Documentary about Black Rebel Villages of Brazil, Premieres at the Pioneer Theater (Ave. A & 3rd Street) in New York City, September 19-25, 2008

Wednesday, Sept 24, 7pm
Thursday, Sept 25, 7pm

“Quilombo Country,” the award-winning documentary about Brazilian villages founded by escaped and rebel slaves, will have its premiere theatrical run at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater from Friday, September 19th to Thursday, September 25th every evening at 7 pm. The film is narrated by Chuck D, the legendary poet, media commentator and leader of the iconic hip hop band Public Enemy. The film’s creator, writer-director Leonard Abrams, will take questions after the Friday and Saturday screenings. The Pioneer Theater is located in the heart of New York City’s East Village at 155 East 3rd Street near Avenue A.

Brazil, once the world’s largest slave colony, was brutal and deadly for millions of Africans. But many thousands escaped and rebelled, creating settlements they called quilombos in Brazil’s untamed hinterland. Largely unknown to the outside world, these communities struggle today to preserve a rich heritage born of resistance to oppression.

“Quilombo Country” explores Afrobrazilian village life among the forests and rivers of northern Brazil, with rare footage of festivals and ceremonies that blend Catholic, African and native Amazonian rituals and customs, including the use of dance, drumming, tobacco and other sacred plants to facilitate the communication between the spiritual and material worlds.

Ranging from the abandoned sugar plantations in the Northeast to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, “Quilombo Country” is alive with first-person accounts of racial conflict, cultural ferment, political identity, and the struggle for land and human rights.

“Wonderfully rich…Abrams’s grainy, intimate portrait of the difficult everyday life of contemporary quilombo residents refuses romanticization.”
– Black Camera

“Immerse[s] the viewer in an ever-expanding network of relationships…in a way that is persuasive, complex, and timely.”
– Southern Quarterly

“Outstanding footage of festivals, parties and religious ceremonies.”
– In These Times

“Winner, Best Documentary, 2007”
– Black International Cinema Berlin festival

‘Quilombo Country’
2006 • USA • Color • Digital 4:3 • Running time: 73 minutes
Website: quilombocountry.com

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