Cuba Mia: Portrait Of An All-Woman Orchestra

As seen on PBS and other TV networks, this award-winning documentary, “Cuba Mia: Portrait of an All-Woman Orchestra”, captures a musical Cuba never before seen. Telling the story of the musicians of the chamber orchestra, the Camerata Romeu (a young female first-cousin of Buena Vista Social Club), this special film features ten beautiful musicians, playing the harmonies of Cuba and demonstrating the power of music to cross the boundaries of nation, gender, and time.

By turns funny, angry, lyrical, and moving, “Cuba Mia” takes us into the lives of these dedicated musicians, as they juggle a fierce rehearsal schedule (they play everything from memory) with everyday life and relationships, offering a slice of Cuban life seldom seen on the world’s screens. Theirs are young lives filled with dreams and sacrifices, victories and defeats, numbing work and moments of genius. Amazingly talented, incredibly beautiful, Cuban to the core, this DVD film is filled with dazzling faces and fiery performances that will both astonish and delight.

The Camerata Romeu is led by Zenaida Romeu, one of the world’s most gifted conductors, who was born into a family of Cuban performers and composers spanning several generations. They are an all-string orchestra that plays everything from Mozart and Classical to World music, from their native folk songs to fiery renditions of a new Cuban music that incorporates the island’s popular rhythms taken from Africa, Spain, and Latin American Indians. Their perfect blend of multiple violins, cello, and bass creates a sound all their own. Whether thrilling audiences in small Cuban towns, playing to packed houses in the U.S. and Europe, or performing in their stunning Basilica in Old Havana, these outrageously gifted women play with a joy and passion that defies description.

This award-winning film, directed by Cecilia Domeyko, the creator of dozens of films capturing the Hispanic experience in the U.S. and Latin America, is an inspiration, matching stirring music with brilliant editing and memorable images, creating a celebration of talent, courageousness, imagination, and dedication. A multiple award winner, “Cuba Mia: Portrait of an All-Woman Orchestra” captures the lives, music, and harmonies of the Cuban soul. There is a wonderful soundtrack recording, with 14 songs, entitled ‘Camarata Romeu: Cuba Mia”.

Bonus Features:

• Complete Spanish Version
• Complete English Version
• The Making Of… featurette
• Bonus Concert Performance
• Awards and Distinctions
• Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
• Bonus Music – 5 Songs from the CD
• Café L.A. Radio Interview and Performances
• Camarata Romeu Bio
• Director’s Bio
• Over 30 Scene Selections
• Multi-Directional Interactive Menus

DVD Length: 86 minutes (English version) plus, 50 minutes Bonus Features
DVD Length: 86 minutes (Spanish version) plus, 50 minutes Bonus Features

Awards and Distinctions:

• 2003 – Winner of the Telly Gold Award
• 2003 – Winner of the CINE Golden Eagle Award
• 2003 – Winner of the Chicago Film Festival, Silver Plaque
• 2003 – Winner of the World Media Festival in Hamburg, Germany, Silver Award
• 2003 – Miami International Festival, Official List
• 2003 – Athens, Ohio International Festival, Official List
• 2003 – 2nd Place at the U.S. International Film and Video Festival, Silver Screen Award
• 2003 – New York International Independent Film & Festival, NYC, LA, and LV, Selection
• 2003 – Moondance International Film Festival, Semifinalist
• 2003 – Aired on WNET, Channel 13, New York
• 2003 – Shown at the AFI Silver Theater, Silver Springs, MD
• 2004 – D.C. International Film Festival, Selection
• 2004 – New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, Honorable Mention
• 2004 – Best Cinematography, New York International Independent Film and Video Festival
• 2004/5 – Nationally Broadcast on PBS

About Cecilia Domeyko – Director of Cuba Mia:

Writer and Director Cecilia Domeyko has traveled around the globe as a cinematic journalist and filmmaker. Creator of dozens of films capturing the Hispanic experience in the U.S. and Latin America, Domeyko’s work has earned her more than 60 prizes at major festivals including the Cine Golden Eagle, the Telly, the Gabriel and National Educational Media Network Awards. Her visionary documentaries on education in Chili and Uganda are currently airing in 90 countries.

Her award-winning mini-telenovelas, starring Latino talent, appear regularly on the U.S. Spanish language networks, including Spanish CNN. Her works on women leaders, artists, and musicians have appeared on PBS, the Discovery Channel, and Univision. Cecilia Domeyko holds a B.A. from the Catholic University of Chili, and a M.A. in Film and Video Production from American University. Cecilia recently spent over a month filming in Cuba and is currently working on a 2-part documentary entitled “Havana: City of Soul”, co-produced by V.I.E.W. Video.

About the Camerata Romeu:

The Orchestra:

Zenaida Romeu: Conductor/Founder
Yadira Cobo: Violin
Yescenia Fales: Cello
Yohima Fernandez: Viola
Anolan Gonzalez: Viola
Veronica Reyes: Violin
Lianne Lastre: Percussion
Dayren Santamaria: Violin
Caridad Zaldivia: Bass

Zenaida Romeu, founder of the Camerata Romeu and one of the world’s few female conductors, was born into a family of Cuban performers and composers spanning several generations. She created her orchestra in 1992, and it has blossomed into an accomplished group of all-female instrumentalists, playing a variety of music ranging from Mozart to traditional Cuban, all with their own distinct and youthful flavor. The musical focus of the orchestra is playing European style classical music while drawing on the Spanish, African and Latin American Indian rhythms that are popular throughout the island of Cuba.

They have played all over Cuba, both in the large cities like Havana and small country towns. They have also been privileged to receive a tremendously warm response from enthralled audiences while on tour in the United States, Latin America and Europe. Despite the everyday hardships of life in Cuba, scarcity of musical supplies and quality instruments, injuries and insecurities, this group of women, who are also busy housewives, mothers and students, have created an original sound that displays their tremendous musical gifts for the world to see. They have two highly acclaimed CDs, “Cuba Mia” and “La Bella Cubana” and are currently in the studio recording their third album.