Friday, Sept. 26, 2025 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / KPBS+
If you’ve heard the Buena Vista Social Club, then you’ve heard the unforgettable voice of Omara Portuondo. Now in her 90’s, Cuba's legendary diva has been a driving force in Afro-Cuban music for over half a century.
In this intimate look at the life of one of the nation’s biggest stars and last grand dames, director Hugo Perez brings audiences along on an intimate journey, following Omara as she celebrates and shares the music of her beloved island with the world.
Exploring her Afro-Cuban heritage, the Cuban Revolution, her meteoric rise to fame and her life as a single mother in Communist Cuba, this film serves both as a history of the Latin music revival and a testament to Omara’s amazing resilience and talent. And her story is finding new audiences once again, in the Tony Award winning Broadway musical “Buena Vista Social Club.”
Although Wim Wenders’ acclaimed documentary "Buena Vista Social Club" beautifully captured the moment when Omara Portuondo was “rediscovered” by the world, her story goes much deeper.
In the face of racism, misogyny, revolution and political controversies, Omara has used her music to connect with fans around the world in profound and sometimes unexpected ways, transcending borders while celebrating the soul of her beloved Cuba.
Following Omara to Tokyo, New York, and Havana, the film features interviews with such world-renowned musicians as Diego El Cigala, Roberto Fonseca, and Arturo O’Farrill. The film chronicles Omara’s beginnings as the daughter of a white, aristocratic mother and a Black father, at a time when such a union meant complete social ruin, to becoming a dancer at age 17 at the world-famous cabaret Tropicana. By her mid 20s, Omara was one of Cuba’s brightest young stars as part of the all-female Cuarteto d’Aida, touring extensively and opening for Nat King Cole.
Over the next several decades, Omara became a trailblazing advocate for Afro-Cuban women, already an icon before ever joining the Buena Vista Social Club and becoming synonymous with that worldwide sensation. With the new Tony-winner “Buena Vista Social Club” musical on Broadway, this powerful look at the real Omara could not be more timely.
Watch On Your Schedule: VOCES "Omara: Cuba's Legendary Diva" will be available to stream with KPBS+, a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.
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