True/False Films

Rise Up
Dir. Luciano Blotta; 2008; 88 min.
Thursday, Feb. 26 / 8:00PM / Little Ragtag
Saturday, Feb. 28 / 10:30PM / Big Ragtag
Sunday, March 1 / 8:30PM / Big Ragtag

In person: director Luciano Blotta

Sneak preview. Music seems to be the only way out of poverty in Jamaica. Rise Up introduces us to three diverse young people trying to make it in a deeply competitive industry. The teenage country girl Kemoy sings beautiful a capella R&B. Ice is a white, privileged singer with connections. And Turbulence is ghetto through and through. Interwoven in the three parallel storylines is commentary by music professionals — Sly & Robbie hold court, along with legendary spaceman/producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. Rise Up also offers a surprisingly intimate look with Kingston and the surrounding countryside. Director Blotta's persistence pays off when the characters experience breakthroughs and setbacks. Rather than blandly surveying the broad musical scene, Blotta succeeds in capturing individual memorable moments that serve to illustrate the immense struggle to distinguish oneself on a music-mad island. (PS)