Children of Las Brisas
Mosaic Films
A documentary following the gruelling music practice of three young musicians, as Venezuela’s growing crisis threatens their hopes of a better life
Filmed over nine years, Children of Las Brisas is a feature-length documentary which follows the intertwining lives of a group of children from the poor barrios, as they struggle to become professional musicians in Venezuela, a country on the verge of collapse.
It chronicles the effects of El Sistema, an aspirational national orchestra program, which sought to improve the lives of children through the study of classical music. The national orchestras soon became a worldwide phenomena but, on a darker note, an instrument for propaganda.
Up to 500,000 children were reached - but with only 600 orchestra positions available in the country, the impoverished families were sold a social narrative with no conclusion. Education was prioritised over subsequent employment or even basic needs, flooding a society with thousands of violinists at a time when it was struggling to feed its children.
The film gives an insight into what it takes to sustain a dream against all odds and questions the role of art in a failed state. It provides a unique insight into how individual lives are affected when the fabric of a society begins to tear itself apart.
Filmed predominantly in Las Brisas, one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Valencia, Children of Las Brisas is the feature directorial debut of critically-acclaimed Venezuelan writer and filmmaker, Marianela Maldonado.
Credits:
A Mosaic Films, Point du Jour, and Invento Films co-production
Director: Marianela Maldonado
Written by: Marianela Maldonado, Jessica Wenzelmann
Producers: Andy Glynne, Luisa De La Ville, Luc Martin Gousset
Executive Producer: Sally Jo Fifer, Lois Vossen, Sandie Viquez Pedlow
Supervising Producers: Shana Swanson, Omar Mesones
Associate Producers: Carolina Ríos, Jennifer Samani
Production Coordinator: Daniel Maggi
Editor: Ricardo Acosta C.C.E., Mike Magidson
Director of Photography: Robin Todd
Story Editor: Ricardo Acosta
Associate Editor: Robin Todd
Original score by: Nascuy Linares
Conductor and Musical Producer: Edwin Arellano
Sound Editor: Samy Bardet, Carolina Santana
Colourist: Raphaëlle Dufosset
Visual FX: Salvador Maldonado
Graphic Designer: Ciro Ramos
Music Supervisor: Margaret Guerra Rogers
Archival Producer: Jessica Wenzelmann
Associate Producer: Robin Todd
Production Managers: Armel Parisot, Gabriel Abenhaim, Canelle Kieffer
Development (UK): Anita Norfolk
Artwork / Design:
Natalia Perez
IDFA Managing Director: Isabel Arrate Fernandez
IDFA Project Manager: Melanie de Vocht
For further information, or to talk about international sales and distribution, please contact Mosaic Films on info@mosaicfilms.com