Fandango at the Wall (2020)

Fandango at the Wall: Directed by Varda Bar-Kar. With Douglas Brinkley, Villalobos Brothers, Regina Carter, Jorge Francisco Castillo. Fandango at the Wall follows Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra founder/conductor Arturo O’Farrill to the remotest regions of Veracruz, Mexico, where he meets and jams with the masters of son jarocho. Son jarocho is 300-year-old folk music rooted in the land that combines African, Indigenous and Spanish traditions. After Arturo’s inspiring journey to a place where time seems to stands still, he and his orchestra join the masters of son jarocho at the border between the United States and Mexico for a son jarocho music and dance festival called Fandango Fronterizo (founded by Jorge Francisco Castillo). The festival takes place simultaneously on both sides of the United States/Mexican border transforming this object that divides to one that unites. With a poetic musical approach inspired by the son jarocho tradition, Fandango at the Wall reveals a Mexico seldom depicted, and delves into the current mass human migrations spurred by violence, poverty, and corruption.

“Fandango at the Wall has beautiful music and wonderful stories. My favorite son jarocho musicians are Tacho and Wendy. I would recommend everybody see this documentary. We are all connected.”