Documentaries

MORE THAN MAS'. Every summer, millions of Caribbean people in North America get together in huge carnival celebrations marking freedom, creative expression, and tradition. Festively-costumed dancers move and jump to the percussive sounds of soca on carnival day. But it's groups of visionaries, organizers, craftspeople, and DJs - working for months in their mas' camps - who make the carnival displays happen. More Than Mas' takes you back to the weeks before Boston's Caribbean Carnival. This is when costume designer Rudy and his group prepare for the King & Queen showcase, one of the events leading up to carnival day. Sequined mannequins and fantastical shapes stand in the backdrop of Rudy's makeshift workshop. In contrast to the spirited jubilation of carnival, mas' camp work is sometimes weary and often repetitive. The documentary moves through the different parts of costume-making, introducing characters in Rudy's band who play vital roles in the whole process of "making mas'." Band members Rudy, Iona, Junior, and Shawn explain what motivates them to do this work year after year. We come to understand that it's about more than carnival, more than mas'. Fusing creativity, pleasure, and craftsmanship, along with arduous and tedious work, Rudy and members of his band labor to build community, maintain traditions, and garner respect. Co-Directed with Monica Cohen, 30 minutes runtime. Official Selection: African World Documentary Film Festival, Boston International Film Festival, Roxbury International Film Festival.

CANDIDA is the story of Candida Rose Baptista, UMB-alum and second-generation Cape Verdean American singer and songwriter who returns to Cape Verde to explore traditional Cape Verdean music and its influence beyond the archipelago nation. Traveling throughout the islands of Cape Verde, Candida visits musicians and immerses in the nation’s history and culture. Set in the backdrop of Cape Verde’s stunning landscape, her journey takes her to the island of Brava, home of her ancestors. Both a homecoming and a musical education, Candida weaves in Cape Verdean music, featuring Candida’s own powerful and honeyed voice, to explore themes of identity, longing, belonging, and the joy and melancholy that marks Cape Verdean music as one of the most evocative musical genres in the world. 45 minutes runtime. Work in Progess Screenings: New Bedford Whaling Museum, and UMass Boston in collaboration with Bridgewater State University's Institute of Cape Verdean Studies.