Os Afro-Sambas: The Brazil of Baden and Vinicius

Presented in partnership with the 29th Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival

A luminous journey into the soul of Brazilian music, Os Afro-Sambas: The Brazil of Baden and Vinicius revisits the making and legacy of the groundbreaking 1966 album Os Afro-Sambas de Baden e Vinicius. Filmed across São Paulo, Salvador, and Rio de Janeiro, the documentary traces the spiritual and artistic synergy between guitarist Baden Powell and poet-lyricist Vinícius de Moraes, capturing the essence of a collaboration that forever changed the country’s musical landscape.

Through intimate testimonies from contemporaries, critics, and family—including Maria Bethânia, Jards Macalé, Dori Caymmi, Russo Passapusso, and Cynara Faria of the legendary Quarteto em Cy—the film uncovers how Afro-Brazilian rhythms and Candomblé traditions shaped an album that channeled both ancestry and innovation. Featuring never-before-seen archival material, this powerful documentary is a celebration of Brazil’s Black cultural roots and Baden and Vinícius’ profound influence on popular music—an exploration of how rhythm, resistance, and reverence coalesced into one of the most transformative works in Latin American music history.