Private Project

Masters of Rhythm with addendum

Peru - and specifically, the Afro-Peruvian community - has produced some of the greatest masters of rhythm and percussion that the world has known, as well as many fascinating percussion instruments. Lima, Peru's capitol, is the birthplace of the finest Afro-Peruvian percussionists: Cotito (Juan Medrano Cotito), Lalo Izquiero, and Huevito ("Freddy" Huevito Lotbatón). We filmed them performing, we filmed them talking about their art, and we filmed them explaining how they learned their art. There are even a few cut-aways of the dance, of Afro-Peruvian cooking and of other key elements and places related to Afro-Peruvian culture. The result is this documentary, in which these masters exude not only skill and talent, but also charisma.

  • Eve A. Ma
    Director
    Domino: Caught in the Crisis; A Zest for Life: Afro-Peruvian Rhythms; The Blacksmith; etc.
  • Eve A. Ma
    Writer
    see above (directors)
  • Eve A. Ma
    Producer
    see above (directors)
  • Cotito (Juan Medrano Cotito)
    Key Cast
    Ritmos Negros del Perú
  • Lalo Izquierdo
    Key Cast
    A Zest for Life: Afro-Peruvian Rhythms; Sigo Siendo
  • Huevito (Freddy Huevito Lotabón)
    Key Cast
  • Coco Linares
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Television
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 5, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Peru
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Black International Cinema, Berlin
    Berlin
    Germany
    May 15, 2016
    German premiere
    Best Film, Fine Arts Category
  • Festival International du Film PanAfricain
    Cannes
    France
    April 17, 2016
    world premiere
  • Berkeley Video & Film Festival
    Berkeley
    United States
    November 5, 2016
    United States premiere
    Best Ethnographic Music Documentary
  • Pan African Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 19, 2017
Director Biography - Eve A. Ma

Eve A. Ma has worked in video-film for over 10 years.
She has produced and directed over 20 programs.
Her work has aired over PBS stations in the United
States, been included in festivals in six countries
(United States, Germany France, Spain, India and
Indonesia) and was projected in an official UNESCO
event in Athens, Greece

Ma’s work has been reviewed in industry publications such as Video Librarian, Multicultural Review, and Educational Media Reviews On-line (EMRO). Although best known for her documentaries, Ma has also created several experimental shorts and one feature-length drama. Her work is informed by her prior careers as history professor, practicing lawyer, and non-profit administrator – and by her flamenco dancing. She produces in Spanish and English.

For more information, look in Who´s Who in the World, where she is listed under her formal name, L. Eve Armentrout Ma.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We took three talented, charismatic individuals who had known each other all their lives, and put them together. The result was magic.