Martinho da Vila was born in 1938 in rural Rio de Janeiro, on a farm by a town called Duas Barras. He spent his childhood in an extremely poor “favela” (slum) in the state capital. He broke album-sale records with his first recordings and, since the public was used to listening to boleros and covers of foreign songs, he fast became the people’s choice. Martinho influenced other composers with his composition style and developed “samba-enredo”, which up until then had been closer to “samba-exaltação” (exalting). The farm where he was born has been turned into the Martinho da Vila Institute, offering free education to children from Duas Barras. It is also next to another farm that was bought by the singer, serving as a backdrop for most of the film. —mostra.org
