After futebol, kite fighting is one of Brazil’s most popular sports. In the crowded urban favelas, flying a kite (or pipa) is more than a leisurely escape from harsh living conditions; it’s also a form of battle, with the sky an arena. This Op-Doc video takes us into Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela, to meet its young pipa warriors and elder statesman.

Pipa designs and airborne strategies for cutting an opponent’s line have been passed from rooftop to rooftop, through the generations. One single rule of battle remains constant: cut the other kite’s line, and don’t get cut. (The activity is also controversial, and often illegal in Brazil, as kites with razor-sharp strings have caused numerous injuries and deaths.)

This documentary emerged from a collaboration between the sports magazine Victory and the Brazilian production company Mosquito Project, which invited me to direct this project. We filmed the story in the days leading up to the World Cup.

Our fixer, who is featured in the video, was Carlos Eduardo da Silva Barbosa, a community leader in Rocinha. He understands everything about kite fighting and his rooftop is a prime spot for it, easily accessible by all. In the favela, there are typically no locks on doors, and everyone knows everyone else. It’s common to pass through one family’s living room to access another family’s bedroom two flights above. There’s a very strong sense of community — even pride. (And while armed drug dealers and poverty are still commonplace, there is less misery than many imagine.)