Sunday Movie at BCP: "Buena Vista Social Club" - Starts at 1pm

[NewsLady]

As many of you know from today's announcement, the new coffee lounge / cafe at the BCP Center will be called the "Fenix Cafe" (Spanish for Phoenix).  I look forward to working with Joy Alexander, who is committed to continuing - and expanding - the vision of the founder of the venue. 

Although the formal opening of the new cafe and coffee lounge will be later in the week, Joy has graciously offered to host our movie this coming Sunday, April 2.  Snacks (including popcorn) and drinks will be available for purchase.  

Joy tells me that "comfortable seating" will be returning, but will still a bit limited on Sunday.  As always, if you like, you can bring cushions for the hard restaurant chairs, or folding / camp chairs for more comfort.  There is no admission charge, but we ask for voluntary donations to support the program and help pay for the video system.  

 

Upcoming movies:  (Details about each film will be sent out during the week before the screening.) 

April 9:  Tracks (2013 - Australia) 

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This Sunday at 1:00PM:  "Buena Vista Social Club" (Documentary- 1999) 

From NPR.ORG:  "It was nearly 20 years ago, back in 1997, that the Buena Vista Social Club became an improbable worldwide sensation: a group of mainly elderly (and some younger) Cuban musicians, performing traditional son music for an album produced by Ry Cooder. The combustible success of that first project — which only transpired by accident to begin with — led to a cottage industry of lovely artifacts, including a beautiful 1999 documentary by Wim Wenders and a string of solo albums from its leading artists (not to mention 2010's Afrocubism, the fruit of World Circuit chief Nick Gold's original idea for what became the Buena Vista Social Club's first album).

Since the group's initial successes, several of its unforgettable artists — including guitarist and singer Compay Segundo, pianist Ruben Gonzalez, singer Ibrahim Ferrer, percussionist Miguel "Anga" Díaz (father to the sensational new twin-sister duo Ibeyi) and bassist Orlando "Cachaíto" López — have passed away. "

From IMDB:  "Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who traveled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers."

I saw this documentary film at a local Northern California theater in 1999, and as a lifelong fan of Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz,immediately, immediately fell in love with the music and enjoyed the heartwarming story of the return of these "vintage" musicians to prominence.  A couple years later, I attended alive performance by pianist Reuben Gonzales and vocalist Ibrahim Ferrar at Oakland, California's huge restored Art Deco theater, the Paramount. 

So please join us for a film about a joyous reunion of a group of musicians who had been kept out of the public view for decades due to the policies of the Castro regime in Cuba.  As a documentary, it's not perfect - and has some flaws.  But the music, the stories of the musicians, and the insight into life in 1999 Havana make this one of my all-time favorite films. 

David Van Harn,Curator
Boquete Film Club 

Link to trailer