THINKFilm and HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films have jointlyacquired Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary's Favela Rising, which has been shortlisted for two International DocumentaryAssociation awards.

The partners plan a 2006 release on the US-Brazilian co-production about aformer drug trafficker from a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum who turns socialactivist and campaigns against violence through his grassroots Afro-Reggaemovement.

Lumina Films recently acquired international rights to the picture, which receivedits world premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival and won the best newdocumentary filmmaker prize.

"Jeff [Sackman] and I are so excited that THINK and HBO have chosen our filmout of the dozens of great films this year," Mochary said. "THINK and HBOare the two best distributors of documentary films. As a duo, they are the goldstandard. We feel blessed!" Zimbalist added.

THINKFilm's vice president of acquisitions Daniel Katz and US theatrical chiefMark Urman, and HBO supervising producer John Hoffman and HBO president ofdocumentary programming Sheila Nevins negotiated the deal with Stephen Raphaeland Ben Feldman on behalf of the filmmakers.

Favela Rising is produced bySidetrack Films and Mochary and Zimbalist in association with Voy Pictures.

The deal marks the latest collaboration between THINKFilm and HBO followingother documentary projects including Jeff Blitz's Spellbound, Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's Born IntoBrothels, and Marc Levin's ProtocolsOf Zion, which opens in theatres onOct 21.