Traveling from the streets of Havana to the stage of Carnegie Hall, this revelatory documentary captures a forgotten generation of Cuba’s brightest musical talents as they enjoy an unexpected encounter with world fame. The veteran vocalists and instrumentalists collaborated with American guitarist and roots-music champion Ry Cooder to form the Buena Vista Social Club. Taking their name from a Havana club and playing a jazz-inflected mix of cha-cha, mambo, bolero, and other traditional Latin American styles, they recorded an album that won a Grammy and made them an international phenomenon. In the wake of this success, director Wim Wenders filmed the ensemble’s members—including golden-voiced Ibrahim Ferrer and piano virtuoso Rubén González—in a series of illuminating interviews and live performances. The result is one of the most beloved documentaries of the 1990s, and an infectious ode to a neglected corner of Cuba’s prerevolutionary heritage.
Wim Wenders is one of the world’s best-known and most influential German directors and photographers. He is the founder of the Filmverlag der Autoren and was President of the European Film Academy from 1996 until 2020. The film Buena Vista Social Club premiered at the 49th Berlinale in 1999 and received numerous film awards, including the European Film Award in the Best Documentary category and an Oscar nomination.
