Vancouver Film Festival 2019 – “Eliades Ochoa: From Cuba to the World”

Vancouver International Film Festival 2019

“Eliades Ochoa: From Cuba to the World”

When most people think about Cuban music, they often cite the “Buena Vista Social Club”, an album which took the world by storm in 1997. The beautifully crafted documentary, “Eliades Ochoa: From Cuba to the World”, digs deeper, chronicling the life of one of the Social Club’s performers as well as the history of Cuban music.

In this uplifting documentary, director and producer Cynthia Biestek employs the use of vintage photos and films, extensive interviews with family and fellow musicians, and, primarily, conversations with Ochoa himself to piece together the musician’s life story as well as the evolution of today’s Cuban sound.

Described by actor Benicio del Toro as “the Cuban Johnny Cash”, Ochoa remembers his early years as being both humble and hopeful. He was born on a farm in a remote village; his family didn’t have much money, but they did have music. Both of his parents played and sang; Eliades and his sister Maria tried to copy what they heard, inspiring their father to sell the farm and move the family to Santiago de Cuba where the children would have a chance to become musicians. When they arrived in Santiago, his father bought him a real guitar, an instrument he still plays today, at the age of 73.

As Ochoa tells the story of his life in music, every scene is punctuated by a series of black and white film clips, interviews and musical interludes from the era. The Buena Vista Social Club recording sessions, his contribution to the creation of Afrocubano music and the night he played for Barack Obama are only a few of the amazing experiences he describes in loving detail.

An engaging, humble, fascinating person and musician, Eliades Ochoa’s story honours his home, his family and his musical roots superlatively.

“Eliades Ochoa: From Cuba to the World” will air:

Sat Oct 5 9:15 pm SFU Goldcorp Centre 149 W Hastings

Sun Oct 6 1:30 pm Rio 1660 E Broadway

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