Festive Land: Carnaval in Bahia

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Festive Land: Carnaval in Bahia (2000) is a documentary film directed by Carolina Moraes-Liu. The film examines one of the largest and most extraordinary popular celebrations in the world, the week-long Carnaval that brings more than two million people to the streets of Salvador, the capital of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil.

Festive Land: Carnaval in Bahia explores the rich fabric of Bahian Carnaval from the points of view of four people of different social classes and backgrounds. Commentary is provided by noted Brazilian artists, leaders, and scholars. Grammy winner Gilberto Gil gives a personal account of his participation in the quasi-religious afoxe group, Filhos de Gandhi. Daniela Mercury, discusses the varied influences shaping contemporary Bahian Carnaval music. Antônio Carlos dos Santos (Vovô), founder of the group Ilê Aiyê, explains the significance of afro-centric Carnaval groups called "blocos afros," and describes how racism is reflected in the social dynamics of the celebration. The fourth voice is that of Professor Roberto Albergaria, an anthropologist from the federal university of Salvador, Bahia, the Universidade Federal da Bahia.