MVFF: A Tuba to Cuba

Twenty years ago, Wim Wenders and Ry Cooder made what seemed to be the definitive Cuban music doc, the languid Buena Vista Social Club. This film, livelier but just as beautifully shot, makes a bid for that honor. It follows the famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as they traverse post-embargo Cuba in search of the indigenous beats and rhythms that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. Beyond deep cultural connection, their encounters seem to spontaneously combust into music—culminating in a raucous romp through the streets of Havana. We highly encourage dancing in the aisles for this one.