Fernando Meirelles is a man in demand. The renowned director of City of God, Constant Gardener and Blindness, is in town to present his new film, 360, starring Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz, which opened the 55th BFI London Film Festival yesterday evening. Continue Reading

Eliane Elias has been making music since the mid-80s. This year she released Light My Fire, an album of originals and covers, as well as collaborations with Gilberto Gil, that has been getting rave reviews all summer. Eduardo Pagnoncelli sat down with Eliane to talk about her career and her latest release. Continue Reading

“The police do not exist to protect people in Brazil, they exist to protect the state.” Wagner Moura on his role in Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. Continue Reading

After much anticipation, Fela! – the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, celebrating the life and music of Nigerian Afro-beat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti – has made its return to London’s Sadler’s Well Theatre for the second time, and JungleDrums has had the chance to speak to it’s star, Sahr Ngaujah. Continue Reading

He gets angry when the chat turns to “fascism.” But he knows a lot about the roots of violence in Rio. Why did his film cause such furore. JungleDrums talks to José Padilha, director of Elite Squad. Continue Reading

Gaël le Cornec speaks to the Cinematic Orchestra singer Heidi Vogel about music, passion and Brazil.

In the lounge of a busy 5-star hotel, Heidi Vogel sits waiting on a couch, black mini-dress, high heels, dark ringlets – her unmistakable trademark. Heidi made her professional debut touring with Cirque du Soleil ten years ago. She became, on her return, a frequent face in the London and LA Jazz and soul scene where she got involved with the Cinematic Orchestra, first starting as a backing vocal and quickly rising to the lead singer position. Continue Reading

Ed Siegle has spent a considerable amount of time living in Rio de Janeiro and Brighton, so it’s no surprise that his debut novel would be set in these locations. On Invisibles he explores his love for Brazil as well as it’s social problems, in a universal narrative that should appeal to everyone. JD sat down for a chat with Ed to discuss his novel and this love of Brazil. Continue Reading

The trio from the coastal city of Recife (in Brazil’s north-east) may be unique in that a large part of their music is composed and recorded using exclusively, flute, percussion and electric bass. Their influences stretch from Brazil to Africa and Europe, and their live show combines intense musical innovation with video projections to convey narratives without the use of the human voice. Continue Reading

We’ve been going a bit crazy about Biutiful, the new film from Alejandro González Iñárritu. So much so, that in addition to a review and competition, we’ve now got an interview with the director himself. Continue Reading