Lágrima Negras

Feature documentary about the Cuban quintet ‘La Vieja Trova Santiaguera’.


The five main characters in this 75 minutes documentary are musicians who, on finishing their performances, have to be assisted off the stage. Not because they are too tired after playing and dancing their hearts out, but because the stairs pose too big a risk to their fragile legs. It’s because the average age of these ‘Golden Oldies’ is 80 years. Lágrimas Negras follows these five Cubans, ‘the Grandfathers of the Salsa’, four of whom before reaching their retirement age used to work as manual labourers. Together they perform as ‘La Vieja Trova Santiaguera’ (The Old Troubadours), playing acoustic Cuban ‘son’, the music that became salsa, with the energy and dynamism of musicians a fraction of their age but with the grace of all their years. Four of them had never left their island until their unexpected rise to fame in 1993 took them on tours abroad.
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English title: Black Tears

Director: SONIA HERMAN DOLZ

Producers: CARMEN COBOS & KEES RYNINKS

Credits: Photography Melle Van Essen / Sound Christine Van Roon / Editor Gys Zevenbergen

A Ryninks Films production in co-production with NPS Television.

Made with the participation of: The Dutch Film Fund, The CoBO Fund and the Rotterdam Film Fund.

Sales Agent: Netherlands Public Broadcasting www.npbsales.com

Sold to: Odyssee France, Discovery Channel Latin-America, RAI SAT Italy, Duna TV Hungary, Turkey, VRT Belgium, Arte France, WNET New York, Danish Institute Denmark, Once TV Mexico. Theatrically released in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, America, Italy, Hungary, Turkey.

Versions: Spanish with Dutch and English subtitles, colour, 75 minutes.

Copyright: Ryninks Holding BV/NPS 1997


Dutch Academy Award, 1999
Audience, Chicago Latin Film Festival, 1999
Holland film Award, 1999
Audience & Silver Spire Award, San Francisco Int. Film Fest. ‘98
Golden Plaque, Arts, Chicago Int. Film Festival 1998
Dutch Film Award, Special Jury Award, Utrecht 1998

 

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