'A Vida No Ritmo' (Life in the Rhythm) is a soulful portrayal of the significance of music to the people of Rio. It was shot by Rio Film School students in the streets and recording studios; from the beaches, to downtown, to the favelas. The film covers a variety of subcultures and genres, from Favela Funk to AfroReggae. It's since been screened widely at festivals and events across the UK and Brazil, including the London World Film Festival, Movimientos Live and the BFI, and was accredited at the Cannes Short Film Corner 2011.

The Rio Film School works in direct partnership with Cinema Nosso, a Brazilian NGO based in Rio de Janeiro. Cinema Nosso was set up by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund after making the film 'City of God', in order to continue supporting the youths involved in the making of the film and to pull people away from drug trafficking and crime through film and media training. Cinema Nosso offers free education in film production to the underprivileged children and youth of Rio de Janeiro and currently hosts over 1000 students per year.

The Rio Film School offers intensive courses in documentary making in Rio de Janeiro for both film students and newcomers to film from all over the world. Its highly acclaimed one month courses taught in English are tailored to be as effective as possible in the art of documentary making. 20% of the school's turnover is donated to Cinema Nosso.