Fabrica Presents the Amazing Creativity of Carlos Casas

On April 27 and 29, 2006, the international cultural and communication center Fabrica, founded by the Benetton group and Oliviero Toscani, presents its new film and music projects in Moscow.
The special guest of the presentation is director and producer Carlos Casas (Fabrica/Colors), author of several award-winning films at international film festivals and creative director of the music department of Colors and Fabrica.
The documentary films Colors are a project of Colors Magazine aimed at drawing attention to extremely diverse but relevant issues of modernity and local cultures in global space (in both geographical and media senses) around the world from Hong Kong and Patagonia to Brazil and the Aral Sea basin. The Colors Music project focuses on releasing authentic music collected from various corners of the globe, such as Baile Funk. Music, like visual images, can serve as a universal communicative tool and influence the worldview of millions. Approaching sound in this way, Colors Music presents it in a new context - of contemporary art.

Program: Thursday, April 27, 2006, 20:00, Kinostrelka Club
Address: Artstrelka complex, Ilya Piganov's Open Workshop, Bersenevskaya Embankment 4/5, on the territory of the Red October Factory. Contact phones: +7-495-741-92-67, +7-916-313-81-57

Screening of the film "Fishermen and the Sea That Does Not Exist." Presentation of the CD Inner Asian Pop.
"Fishermen and the Sea That Does Not Exist" is a documentary film by directors Carlos Casas and Saodat Ismailova. It tells the story of three generations of hereditary fishermen who live on the shores of the Aral Sea. Each of their days turns into a struggle, as they live in one of the least adapted places on Earth. The story of these fishermen is a story of human survival after one of the greatest man-made catastrophes. The film won the award for Best Documentary at the 22nd Film Festival in Turin (2004). It participated in the competitive program of the 34th International Festival in Rotterdam (2004) and the Filmmaker Festival in Milan (2004).
The CD Inner Asian Pop is a collection of the most remarkable phenomena in pop music from the newer states of Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. The compilation provides a unique opportunity to meet a number of talented musicians who, while not forgetting the unique cultural traditions of their own countries, present them in the digital age. Some of them are well-known in their homeland, others are completely unknown even there, and some use the services of Western producers. The Inner Asian Pop compilation is a powerful example of what the music industry in Central Asia looks like.

Saturday, April 29, 2006, 20:00, Moscow Arts Center
Address: Moscow, Neglinnaya St. 14, contact phones: +7 495 924 89 74

Presentation of the film "Rocha. Favela in Broad Daylight" and the CD Rio Funk:
The film "Rocha. Favela in Broad Daylight" by director Carlos Casas is a documentary story about one of the most famous and densely populated suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It is a different look at urban slums and the extraordinarily colorful inhabitants of poor neighborhoods, whose lives are not reduced, contrary to popular belief, to a constant struggle for a piece of bread, drugs, and crime, as depicted in the film "City of God."
The music compilation Rio Funk consists of tracks from a new genre, gathered from a journey through 600 favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Rio Funk, also known as "Baile Funk" and "Funk Neuromantico," is the most original and interesting musical phenomenon that has emerged in Brazil in recent years. It combines powerful bass lines, sharply shaped and themed poetry, samples stolen from pop music, and primitive electronics. Baile Funk now serves roughly the same purpose as samba did in the 70s, that is, music written by the poor to sell to the rich. Some offshoots of Baile Funk are officially banned by municipal laws, so listening to this music in Rio de Janeiro can land one in jail. Baile Funk is the music of thousands of raves organized by local promoters in the favelas. The atmosphere at these parties is something completely special: drugs, juvenile gangsters, and people engaged in ecstatic sex on stage.