Samba! the Heartbeat of a Community

Even as a child, Ailton Nunes was drawn to the sounds of samba in his Mangueira neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But samba was more than music; it was tradition and heritage and it united all of Brazil, especially at the annual Carnaval festival with its samba parades and competition. Mangueira's samba school becomes Ailton's home away from home, and he dreams of joining the bateria, the drummers, when he got older. And with hard work and determination, Ailton not only joins the Mangueira bateria, he helps lead them to victory at the Carnaval festival.