World premiere in New York of a documentary about the legendary Omara Portuondo | culture

A documentary about the legendary Cuban singer Omara Portondo will be shown around the world during the New York Documentary Festival, which will take place from November 10-28.

“Omara,” by New York-based Cuban-born director Hugo Perez, is a portrait of one of Cuba’s biggest stars and will be presented on November 13 at the 12th DOC NYC Film Festival, according to a statement from Cinema Tropical, a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting Latin cinema in the United States. United.

The screening of the feature film coincides with the 25th anniversary of the recording of the iconic album “Buena Vista Social Club” in which he participated alongside the glories of old Cuban music.

The documentary, produced by Dana Kuznetzkopf and Frida Torresblanco, offers unprecedented access to the legendary “girlfriend of feelings”, often described as Cuba’s Billie Holiday, to tell for the first time on the big screen the story of her successful career, spanning more than seven decades.

At the age of ninety, the Cuban singer has been a driving force behind Afro-Cuban music for more than half a century.

“In the face of racism, misogyny, revolution, and political disagreements, Amara has used her music to connect with fans around the world in profound, sometimes unexpected, ways that push boundaries while celebrating the spirit of her beloved Cuba,” notes further.. the notice.

In 2019, Portondo received a Latin Grammy for Lifetime Achievement for her contributions to Latin America and world music.

To record “Omara,” the director followed the singer through Mexico City, Tokyo, New York, and Havana and interviewed world-renowned musicians such as Diego El Segala, Roberto Fonseca and Arturo O’Farrell, as a platform to tell the story of these. life.

Audiences will know the circumstances of his birth into a biracial family, made up of an aristocratic Spanish mother and a father who was a baseball player (Bartolo Portondo), as well as his path to becoming a dancer at the age of 17 at the world famous Tropicana cabaret.

In her mid-twenties, she was one of Cuba’s most popular young female stars as part of the women’s singing group Cuarteto d’Aida, on constant tours, and as the opening act for Nat King Cole.

Portuondo was already an icon before he was “rediscovered” by musician Ry Cooder, mother of Buena Vista Social Club.

Perez will also have a second film at the festival, also at his world premiere, the documentary Once Upon a Time in Uganda, co-directed with Catherine Kzubek, in which a brick-maker becomes a Ugandan celebrity when he tries his luck at directing films from the business.