Soy Cubana
This program has been modified from the original recording Mix yourself a mojito and join us for a special screening of Soy Cubana. This award-winning short documentary features the Vocal Vidas, a female Cuban a cappella quartet whose infectious spirit and precise vocal harmonies embody the sounds of Santiago de Cuba—the cradle of Afro-Cuban music. A post-screening program will include a conversation between Producer Robin Miller Ungar and Afro-Cuban pianist, composer, and arranger Dayramir Gonzales, followed by an appearance by the Vocal Vidas. This program is co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Robin Miller Ungar, a speech-language pathologist, found the subject for her first film when she encountered the Vocal Vidas in a small chapel in Santiago de Cuba. Soy Cubana (2015) screened at 60 film festivals in 2016-17, winning audience awards and jury prizes around the world. Ungar’s second short, As We Are (2020), documents a concert in which autistic musicians collaborate with music students and professionals in their Maryland community. Dayramir Gonzalez began his professional career as a pianist and composer with the Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Diákara at the age of 16. Since winning 1st place in the performance and composition categories at Havana’s JoJazz festival in 2004 and 2005 respectively, Dayramir has won three Cubadisco awards—for Best Jazz Album, Best Debut Album, and Best Recording. He was selected as Berklee College of Music’s first Cuban national “Presidential Scholarship” recipient; and has headlined at Carnegie Hall, representing the young generation of Afro-Cuban jazz.
