ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
A documentary about empowerment through drumming in Salvador, Brazil with Dida, the first black, female samba reggae drum line and Fogo Azul, an all-woman, non-binary drumming group in New York.

SYNOPSIS
In 2016 Stacy Kovacs formed Fogo Azul, an all-woman, non-binary, samba reggae drumming band, with just fifteen drummers. By 2020 they had a hundred and ten members and they formed a powerful and loud leadership at the resistance marches, including the Dyke March, the Women’s March and the Pride Marches and to causes such as BLM and Pro-Abortion protests. The band also brought together drummers of every race, sexual persuasion and income bracket, united in their shared values of racial and gender equality and justice for all.

In February, 2020 Stacy took 40 members of Fogo Azul to Salvador, the center of the black community in Brazil, to learn more techniques from Banda Didà, the first all-black, all female samba reggae drumming group, run by the world-renowned Adriana Portela, and to drum in carnival. Then in 2022 Adriana traveled to New York to rehearse with the drummers of Fogo Azul and to lead them in the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Stacy has long admired Adriana and considers her a mentor and as Adriana enters the rehearsal room, over 100 drummers welcome her with an exuberant drum roll. The excitement and energy are palpable and Adriana later admits that she is overwhelmed by the response. She also reflects on the difference between the drummers of Fogo Azul, who are not afraid to live their true selves or to speak out politically, to the drummers of Didá whose lives are more constrained by the limitations of racism, traditional gender norms, and poverty in Brazil. She is working on changing that.

Our timely film is about female, black empowerment and racial and gender equality and justice and how two very different groups of women have learned to make their voices heard through drumming.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Short

DIRECTOR Sarah Teale, Carin Van Der Donk
PRODUCER Sarah Teale, Carin Van Der Donk
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Amanda Tiller

WEBSITE livinglouddoc.com

The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Support a TFC Fiscal Sponsorship Project

Please help support this project with a tax deductible contribution. The “donate” button below will take you to PayPal, but a PayPal account is not required to make a donation. You can check out 2 ways:

1. Use your PayPal account
2. Check out as a guest by selecting “Donate with a Debit or Credit Card” (no PayPal account is required)

Transaction Fee

Please consider covering the PayPal transaction fee by selecting the “I’d like to add to my donation to help offset the cost of processing” box on the next page. This will ensure your intended full donation amount will be received for the project.

Alternate Donation Payment Methods

If you prefer to donate by check, Zelle, ACH, or wire transfer, please email us for instructions.

Stock Donations

TFC accepts stock donations. By donating stock that has appreciated for more than a year, you are giving 20% more than if you sold the stock and then made a cash donation, since you will not pay capital gains taxes on the donated stock. Learn more here.

Please email us for instructions to donate stock to a fiscally sponsored project.

Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Donations

A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is like a charitable investment account for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations. TFC accepts DAF donations and is on file with most major DAF companies. Provide your DAF TFC’s Tax ID: 32-0295081. If we are already on file with your DAF company, they will process the donation.

Tax Receipts

In compliance with IRS rules, tax receipts for your charitable gift are issued for the amount The Film Collaborative receives after payment processor fees are deducted. The Film Collaborative emails tax receipts in PDF format within 30 days of your online donation. The “receipt” that is immediately sent to you from PayPal after you donate is just a payment receipt, not the tax receipt.

Matching Donations

Many companies have matching gift programs and can help you double your donation to a project of your choosing. Sometimes these programs will match a donation up to a year after it was originally made! Check with your employer—if they have a matching gift program, they will provide you with instructions.

End of Year Giving

November, December, and January are big giving months each year. Donors top up their annual giving in November and December. January is a new fiscal year, and some donors start their giving for the next fiscal year early. Some donors even give at the end of the year and again in January since these donations fall into different fiscal years.

Donors tend to make their large year-end donation decisions before the holidays start. In 2024, that means before December 20. TFC can accept donations by wire, ACH, and Zelle until 5:00pm Eastern Time on December 31. Online donations by credit or debit card can be made until 11:59pm Pacific Time on December 31.