River of Tears

River of Tears

ABOUT
River of Tears is a mini-documentary (25 minutes) about the 1996 Flood of the Favela "City of God," in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On the 13th of February of that year, the worst rains in the history of Rio de Janeiro caused a city-wide flood which was concentrated in the Favela (slum) of "City of God," Jacarepagua. Despite the many deaths (counts vary between 60 and more than 100) and the thousands left homeless, international aid was never solicited, probably because the event happened five days before Carnival and international publicity would have affected tourist dollars. The new homeless families were sheltered in schools, many for more than a year, under terrible conditions that magnified the normal horror of the Favela (where drug trafficking mandates daily life) and which caused the schools to be closed during that time. The majority of those relocated were moved to a landfill over an industrial waste dump, an hour from their former sources of livelihood, exposed to toxic gases.

WHO
River of Tears was conceived, directed and co-executive produced by Victoria Fahlberg, Ph.D. and Lanny Smith, MD, MPH; Produced by Ellen Papadeas and Erika Petersson; edited by Eli Hardy, Chris Fernandez and Josh Sklaroff at Cole & Company; Voice by Maria Aguiar; Sound recording by Chris Sebastian and Mark Wong at Rumblestrip; Music by Sergio Brandao, Fernando Brandao, Mestre Deraldo, Teresa Ines, Mauro Longordo and Joao Marcos. Accompaniment by ACODE (Community Action for Family Development), Favela "Cidade de Deus," Brazil and Doctors for Global Health (DGH).

This documentary was funded by the out-of-pocket expenses of Lanny Smith and Victoria Fahlberg (Victoria lived in this Favela for 8 years doing work with ACODE to address child abuse and prevent children from becoming street children, and was there during the flood itself), and through pro-bono work on the part of the professionals at Cole & Company and Rumblestrip, the aforementioned artists, and a host of other kind and conscientious persons in Brazil and other places in the world. Thank you to all. A special thanks to those who helped contact the Brazilian musical artists. The video was also done as part of a class on "Disaster Management" at Harvard School of Public Health, taught by Dr. Jennifer Leaning; neither the professor nor the institution are responsible for its content.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Dedicated to the people who suffered during The "Enchente" (Flood) and continue to live lives of injustice, the documentary "River of Tears" means to amplify their voices. Ideally, we would like to make an hour-long version in the future, so as to better show the life-stories of these people and work with them in making a difference in their lives, but this would imply more interviews and at least minimal funding. You can help by:
Sending us ideas/contacts about persons or institutions likely to be interested in helping to make this longer version, either pro-bono or as funders.

Getting more information about, and helping to support, the work of ACODE in the Favela Cidade de Deus, "City of God." ACODE was founded in 1994 and is located in the Resident's Association in the City of God, RJ, Brazil. The team at ACODE is made up of social workers, psychologists, and teachers. ACODE links residents to formal and informal services in a social network that provides for their nutritional, educational, medical, legal, occupational, and spiritual needs. ACODE specializes in helping families caught in the grip of child abuse and domestic violence and provides psycho-educational interventions developed specifically for this population. ACODE also works towards the implementation of human rights and maximization of opportunities that will improve the quality of life for those who live in the City of God. During the recuperation phase of the 1996 flood, professionals at ACODE played key roles in organizing and distributing food and clothing to those in need. ACODE has no political or religious affiliations.

Letting us know if you would be interested in purchasing a copy of this mini-documentary. Lanny Smith plans to use the video in teaching liberation medicine and human rights classes. It would be useful in teaching disaster management classes as well. A VHS tape of River of Tears will cost (in USD): $15 for individuals, $25 for small NGOs (less than $150,000 a year budget), and $50 for institutions and large NGOs (plus shipping and handling). Sponsoring donations of any amount are very welcome.
NOTE: This documentary contains scenes which are not appropriate for children (dead bodies, including a child, treated like they are of animals).
LICENSING NOTE: Television news coverage of the floods of Jacarepagu‡ in 1996 shown throughout this video comes from materials broadcast by Rede Globo and Rede Manchete of Brazil. Newspaper materials shown come from articles in O Dia, Jornal do Brasil and O Globo of Brazil. Additional Internet material is derived from USA Today. Upon award of the grants to be written on this topic, the producers and writers of this video will seek all legal permissions required to justify usage of the above materials beyond academic and grant-seeking use. The producers thank all of the above organizations in advance.
For more information, e-mail Lanny Smith at lannysmith@yahoo.com.