A family decides to open a classical music school in their own house. The six young Cruz brothers start to teach various musical instruments to the children in their neighbourhood. Little by little, the house becomes a musical meeting place in one of Fortaleza’s most dangerous neighbourhoods. But in order to live their dream of becoming professional musicians, the family needs to look for new horizons. How far will the music take them?
Paula Bessa Braz is an anthropologist and currently a PhD student in Social Anthropology at the University of São Paulo (USP), in Brazil, where she conducts interdisciplinary research on both anthropology and ethnomusicology. “Family Song” marks her debut in film direction and was conceived as a filmic ethnography following her master’s research, where the Cruz family is addressed with a sensorial take.
Mihai Andrei Leaha is an audio-visual researcher and filmmaker working in South America. His films have been shown at various film festivals and won prizes. As a board member of Commission on Visual Anthropology, IUAES, and other organizations, he is involved in curating, promoting, and programming ethnographic films at various conferences and festivals. He has taught visual anthropology in Cluj and São Paulo. He has also organized conferences and workshops on visual and multimodal anthropology in Romania, Brazil and Peru. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of São Paulo, conducting research on the DIY electronic music scene in São Paulo.