OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2025 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL
In the tradition of The Buena Vista Social Club, Juan Carvajal’s joyful debut LA SALSA VIVE ('Salsa Lives') is a vibrant cinematic exploration of a musical movement that has ignited generations, salsa, weaving stories from its origins in 1960s New York City, USA, to its contemporary thriving scene in Cali, Colombia.
Born from the rich, interwoven sounds of the Caribbean, salsa emerged in New York as a powerful cultural force, bringing dozens of Latin American musical traditions under one umbrella. As its popularity shifted over time, salsa found a fervent new home in Cali, where it continues to thrive with unmatched energy across dance schools, nightclubs, orchestras, and the city’s spirited neighbourhoods.
Blending remarkable archival footage, live recordings and illuminating interviews with legends including singers Rubén Blades and Henry Fiol, percussionists Samuel Formell and Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez, and 100-year-old maestro Willie Rosario, LA SALSA VIVE captures both the history and enduring pulse of salsa. Celebrating devoted dancers, music collectors, and a new generation embracing its rhythms, the film - a smash hit at the Colombian box office - is an exhilarating love letter to a vivid and living cultural legacy.