Rise Up Trailer (2009)

Far from the tourist resorts, Rise Up travels to the heart of contemporary Jamaica and its flourishing underground music scene. On an island where opportunity is scarce, three aspiring artists - Turbulence (a charismatic lyrical master from the ghetto), Ice Anastasia (the wealthy "Vanilla Ice" from uptown Kingston), and Kemoy (a shy angelic songstress from the country) - seek to "rise up" into the legendary eminence of their iconic predecessors. Deep in the Kingston ghetto where reggae was born, reggae music continues to be a key forum of expression for ghetto youths, who still face crippling inequalities, poverty, and violence. Making a very promising filmmaking debut, Luciano Blotta combines interviews with local underground musicians and Jamaica's music elite (including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare) with an energetic and inspiring soundtrack that gives life to an entire nation. RiseUp is a celebration of struggle and the elevation of the human spirit.