For a lot of, Omara Portuondo is greatest recognized for her participation within the Buena Vista Social Membership; however the nonagenarian has lived many lives earlier than and after the formation of the internationally acknowledged Cuban group. The brand new PBS documentary, “Omara: Cuba’s Legendary Diva,” appears to be like to reexamine and seize the sweetness and the chaos of those different many lives.
Directed by Hugo Perez, the characteristic — which premieres Sept. 26 in your native PBS channel — tells Portuondo’s private historical past not solely by way of the lens of her Afro-Cuban heritage but in addition by way of the prism of a girl confronting the realities of Cuba’s longstanding political strife.
“It immediately occurred to me that I was being given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with a great artist in the twilight of their career — imagine taking a time machine and going back in time to work with Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday in their later years,” Perez stated in a press launch.
“When we began, Omara was in her late eighties, and still touring extensively around the world. Yet despite the fact that she was still selling out venues across the globe, she was confronting ageism from promoters and journalists who only wanted to write about her ‘final tour.’ I felt that there was an opportunity not just to create a portrait of an iconic artist but to document how she responded to age bias with verve and panache and not just a little sauciness. Never count a Cuban woman down and out.”
Born right into a mixed-race household in Havana on Oct. 29, 1930, at a time when such relationships had been thought of taboo, Portuondo started gracing the stage at age 17 by becoming a member of the dance group of the famed Tropicana Membership. As a member of Cuarteto d’Aida within the Fifties, she sang alongside Nat King Cole and toured the U.S. whereas additionally recording albums. From the late Sixties by way of the Eighties, Portuondo discovered continued success as a solo act and even ventured into the world of movie and tv.
Ever concerned within the political occasions of the second, she by no means shied away from performing songs devoted to revolutionaries like Che Guevara. In 1974, the singer recorded an album devoted to the U.S.-ousted Chilean socialist president Salvador Allende.
Within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, Portuondo started touring the world with the famend Cuban musical ensemble, the Buena Vista Social Membership. The band’s fame skyrocketed in 1999 after German filmmaker Wim Wenders made a documentary concerning the musicians titled “Buena Vista Social Club” that obtained quite a few awards and was nominated for an Academy Award. On the coronary heart of the movie had been moments when Portuondo’s abilities jumped off the display and worldwide audiences might see the facility and historical past behind her artistry.
The story of the Buena Vista Social Membership was changed into an eponymous musical in 2023, with Portuondo featured as one of many essential characters. After the musical hit Broadway in 2025, Natalie Venetia Belcon — who portrayed Portuondo as a part of the present’s authentic Broadway solid — gained the Tony for featured actress in a musical at this yr’s awards.
Whereas, for a lot of, Portuondo’s impression and star energy emanates from all issues Buena Vista Social Membership, the brand new documentary spotlights how Portuondo has not slowed down her hustle at her superior age as she continues touring worldwide. Included within the film are interviews with musicians from throughout the globe, like Diego el Cigala, Roberto Fonseca and Arturo O’Farrill.
The movie additionally captures a few of Portuondo’s newer performances, which reveal new depths of the singer’s soulfulness and energy.
“I also wanted to make a film that would show her in performance today, spotlighting songs that would help carry us through the story of her life,” the film’s director stated. “When she sings about love, Omara plumbs the depths of heartbreak, and I could not imagine telling her story without seeing her singing these great songs.”
