World Cinema Amsterdam | Internationaal filmfestival | 18 – 27 Augustus 2016

Walter Carvalho | Brazil | 2011 | 130’ | In Portuguese | English subtitles

“Toca Raul!” – “Play Raul!” It is very common to hear people in the audience yelling this at a concert in Brazil, regardless of the artist on stage. With ‘Raul’ they mean Raul Santos Seixas, the father of Brazilian rock. Seixas, born in Salvador (Bahia) on June 28 1945, grew up next door to the United States consulate in Salvador, reason why he became fluent in English and was introduced to American rock ‘n roll icons like Little Richard, Jerry Lee
Lewis and Elvis Presley at an early age. In the mid-1960s he formed his own group: Os Panteras, which marked the beginning of a long and creative period in which he released 21 albums. He preferred rock and ballads, Western-oriented, but with a distinct Brazilian feel. In 1989 he died of cardiac arrest, a result of alcohol and drug abuse. In this documentary director Walter Carvalho depicts the tempestuous life of Seixas, who remains immensely popular in Brazil to this day. He zooms in on his youth, affairs, clashes with the military dictatorship, mystic inclinations, etc. And of course: his music! A film by Walter Carvalho.