Celebrating Caribbean Music
Documentaries
Did you know that June is Caribbean-American Heritage Month as well as Black Music Month? In honor of the occasion, on this last day of June, this post highlights a few recent–and one classic–documentary films featuring Caribbean music. What are your favorite Caribbean music docs?
Calypso Dreams (dir: Geoffrey Dunn & Michael Horne, 2004) traces the history of calypso music through an engaging mix of interviews, archival footage and performances. Watch the trailer HERE.
<p>"The Other Side of the Water" web Trailer from Jeremy Robins on Vimeo.</p>
The Other Side of the Water (dir: Jeremy Robins & Magali Damas, 2010) follows the Brooklyn-based Haitian band DJARARA. The film explores the roots of rara music and its attendant controversies, focusing on the band’s charismatic leader Pé Yves. Watch the trailer HERE. (And HERE‘s a related article from New Yorker magazine on rara music.)
Rise Up (dir: Luciano Blotta, 2009) is a riveting film about three artists who try to make it in Jamaica’s cutthroat music business. The film won the Best Music Documentary award at Silverdocs and has screened at many other festivals. Watch the trailer HERE.
…Y tenemos sabor /…And We Have Flavor (dir: Sara Gómez, 1967) gives a lyrical introduction to Afro-Cuban rhythms. This short is packed with interviews, footage of impromptu street performances and studio recordings. Check out this CLIP from the film, which definitely showcases Cuban flavor.
About BFC/A
The Black Film Center/Archive was established in 1981 as a repository of films and related materials by and about African Americans. Included are films which have substantial participation by African Americans as writers, actors, producers, directors, musicians, and consultants, as well as those which depict some aspect of black experience. The BFC/A is a facility where scholars, students and researchers can view films and have access to auxiliary research facilities on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. Black Camera, the micro-journal of the Black Film Center/Archive, serves as an academic, professional, and community resource. View all posts by BFC/A
