Independent documentary filmmaker Luciano Blotta recently screened his documentary film, RiseUp, at hotdocs, the Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto. As Neil Armstrong reports, “RiseUp is a poetic film that chronicles the improbable journey where life, art and dreams collide, and expresses the perennial Jamaican struggle through the lens and microphone of a very talented filmmaker.”
Following its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and its sneak preview at True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, RiseUp is gaining the attention of many industry insiders and music lovers. It has not been screened in Jamaica, but Blotta said he was looking forward to the moment to screen his film in Jamaica.
RiseUp showcases Jamaica’s underground music community and the struggles, dreams, and aspirations of three young artists vying for their shot at success. It features Turbulence, a charismatic lyrical master from a Kingston ghetto; Ice, the privileged songwriter from uptown St. Andrew, and Kemoy, a shy, angelic songstress from Clarendon, who Blotta calls “the jewel of the film.” He captures the raw ambition of each aspiring artist with an intimate and unique camera style, giving them their first taste of fame as well as a vehicle to turn their dreams into reality.
Born in Argentina and based in Los Angeles, Blotta grew up loving the music of Bob Marley. When he was a student at the University of Miami, he was invited to Jamaica where he discovered the music of some of the upcoming Jamaican artists. “As a foreigner coming to Jamaica, it was striking to see the amount of talent that goes unrecognized in this place, how good this talent is, and how important the music feels to them and how creative they are with it,” said Blotta. He added that as a creative artist himself who knows what it is to struggle, he felt that he would give the unknown artists featured in his documentary any help he could give.
For full article, see http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090517/ent/ent1.html
For documentary page, see http://www.RiseUpMovie.com
Photo from http://hotdocs.bside.com/2009/films/riseup_hotdocs2009%3Bjsessionid=7FB7D55AFE040CA8A481F96F03DEA733
Repeating Islands 
very good read, hoping it to be a success
god bless jamaica
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Brilliant show need more like that.
Kemoy is a born star the full package gifted
Turbulence is an inspiration because he is reborn he is great people will love him
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Great vibs. Just saw it on Nebr. Pub. TV station. Attests to the power of putting a camera in the hands of someone with vision and understanding. People don’t typically experience the real world these days, but when filming/showing the real thing…people can feel that aliveness ’cause it beams thru (if they’re not overly-armored emotionally). We got some great scripts to devote to a video trailer, any cameramen out there near LA or northern Cali?
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