Vida Bonita : Documentary
DirectorMAESTRO CASSIANI claimed to have been born with a unique "grace": his music allowed him to communicate with the afterlife, conveying a message from his ancestors. This gift has endured over time in his village, San Basilio de Palenque, steeped in the struggle of the first maroons who defied slavery in America. Now, as FRANKI watches them seal his maestro's grave with bricks, he wishes he could communicate with him. Like a child thrust into adulthood unprepared, the young man faces the overwhelming responsibility of carrying on his legacy.
For the people of Palenque, music is a bridge that connects the world of the living with the afterlife. It accompanies them until death, comforting the living amid grief and escorting the departed to reunite with their ancestors. The magic woven by the drum's beats holds ancestral wisdom, a whispered secret that shows the importance of embracing existence with the grace of music. This was the message that Maestro Cassiani guarded until his death and that is destined to disappear if not passed on.
The musicians of this village are generations of farmers who have worked the land. The birds' songs and the machete's rhythm have given their music a raw character. TIOTICO and EMILIANO are the last musicians of the village who represent this way of life. Despite dedicating their lives to music, today they are forced to work in the fields to survive. But for these elders, even the simplest tasks have become unbearable burdens. Franki, witnessing their hardship, sees his own reflection in their weary eyes.
Moved by this, the young man embarks on a quest for justice that resonates as a demand, not for sympathy but for dignity. Tired of posthumous tributes, the young man demands that his profession be recognized in life. In a desolate journey where Franki transcends his own uncertainties, he experiences his maestro's lesson firsthand: musical grace is intimately linked to the grace of life itself. Along his path, he will find glimpses of his maestro reflected in the lives of Tiotico and Emiliano, and through their memory, he will manage to communicate with him in the afterlife. As the notes flow from one generation to the next, the legacy persists: a melody that whispers a tale of resilience and the enduring power of music to traverse time.
Directed by: Nicolás Gómez Cañón
Produced by: Baptiste Brunner - Wide Productions (France)
Maria Alejandra Mosquera - Blond Indian Films (Colombia) Nicolás Gómez Cañón - Continente Pictures (Colombia)
Vida Bonita participated in the DOCMONDE documentary workshops led by French director Laurent Bécue-Renard which took place in French Guyana (October, 2021) This project has been awarded in France with three development funds : “Brouillon d’un Rêve'' (2021) , the AURA region - Auvergne Rhône-Alpes - Development Fund (2022) and the PROCIREP- ANGOA development fund. Currently we are seeking for funds for production.