favela rising (2005) documents the real-life story of anderson sá, a resident of one of rio de janeiro's most notorious slums vigário geral, who finds himself faced with the choice to continue along the well-trodden road of drug trafficking and gang warfare, or to find some alternative.

having seen his brother killed through the violence in his drug and crime infused community and having grown up listening to the sound of bullets as he fell asleep at night, anderson decides that he has had enough.

he asks himself, what can he, or one person do, to provoke some sort of social change - and the result is his turning to music.