Author: Newsroom
Directed by Jeremy Ungar & Ivaylo Getov
Written By Agustin Rexach Marín, Ivaylo Getov & Jeremy Ungar
Produced by Robin Miller Ungar
Edited by Agustin Rexach Marín
SYNOPSIS | SOY CUBANA began as a documentary short which followed a unique Afro-Cuban female a cappella quartet, the Vocal Vidas, in their daily lives and artistic process. Their infectious spirit, precise vocal harmonies, and melting pot of references embody the sounds of Santiago de Cuba – the cradle of Afro-Cuban music. The short premiered at the 2016 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, played sixty other festivals and won ten awards.
In 2017, partly as a result of the short’s success, the Vidas achieved their dream of bringing their music to the United States. The group was invited to perform at several venues in Los Angeles, culminating in an appearance before an audience of 3,000 at Grand Performances in Downtown LA. At the same time, the doors to Cuba, which the Obama Administration had begun to open, were being closed by President Trump. As the social and political dynamics between the US and Cuba evolved in ways we did not foresee, our small portrait documentary grew into a feature with a much broader resonance. It became a film about crossing borders; about the capacity for human connection. About pursuing artistic integrity while caught between cultural and political crosscurrents. And about the meaning of home.