Buena Vista Social Club
In Havana, music isn't a pastime, it's a way of life.
1999 | 105m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Wim Wenders |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Wim Wenders |
| Staring: |
| In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories. | |
| Release Date: | Jun 04, 1999 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Wim Wenders |
| Writer: | Wim Wenders |
| Genres: | Documentary, Music |
| Keywords | cuba, havana, cuba |
| Production Companies | Road Movies, Kintop Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 05, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Compay Segundo | Self |
| Eliades Ochoa | Self |
| Ry Cooder | Self |
| Joachim Cooder | Self |
| Ibrahim Ferrer | Self |
| Omara Portuondo | Self |
| Rubén González | Self |
| Orlando 'Cachaíto' López | Self |
| Amadito Valdés | Self |
| Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal | Self |
| Barbarito Torres | Self |
| Pío Leyva | Self |
| Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea | Self |
| Juan de Marcos González | Self |
| Lázaro Villa | Self |
| Octavio Calderon | Self |
| Angel Terry Domech | Self |
| Ibrahim Ferrer Jr. | Self |
| Manuel Galbán | Self |
| Hugo Garzón | Self |
| Carlos González | Self |
| Gilberto 'Papi' Oviedo | Self |
| Alejandro Pichardo | Self |
| Yanko Pichardo | Self |
| Jesús 'Aguaje' Ramos | Self |
| Salvador Repilado Labrada | Self (as Salvador Repilado) |
| José Antonio Rodríguez | Self |
| Benito Suárez Magana | Self (as Benito Suárez) |
| Alberto 'Virgilio' Valdés | Self |
| Heitor Goldflus | Self - Man at a Manhattan Street (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Wim Wenders | Director, Screenplay |
| Jörg Widmer | Steadicam Operator, Director of Photography |
| Compay Segundo | Musician |
| Claire Pijman | Camera Operator |
| Lisa Rinzler | Director of Photography |
| Brian Johnson | Editor |
| Kristi Lake | Post Production Supervisor |
| Nick Gold | Executive Music Producer, Original Concept |
| E. Benjamin Posnack | Sound Mixer |
| Elmo Weber | Sound Supervisor, Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Geraint Lewis | Additional Still Photographer |
| Susan Titelman | Still Photographer |
| Monica Anderson | Associate Editor |
| Gary Trentham | Assistant Editor |
| Hugo Garzón | Musician |
| Rubén González | Musician |
| Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea | Musician |
| Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal | Musician |
| Alejandro Pichardo | Musician |
| Jesús 'Aguaje' Ramos | Musician |
| Barbarito Torres | Musician |
| Lázaro Villa | Musician |
| Armando Roche | Driver |
| Sven Sauër | Production Assistant |
| Zita Morriña | Translator |
| Rafael Rey Rodríguez | Line Producer |
| David Waterston | Camera Operator |
| Ai-Ling Lee | Sound Editor |
| Linda Moran | Unit Production Manager |
| Russell Farmarco | ADR Mixer, ADR Supervisor |
| Walter Spencer | Sound Supervisor, Dialogue Editor |
| Richard Rutkowski | Assistant Camera |
| Donata Wenders | Still Photographer |
| Linda Olague | Colorist |
| Sigfredo Ariel | Music Consultant |
| Angel Terry Domech | Musician |
| Manuel Galbán | Musician |
| Salvador Repilado Labrada | Musician |
| Orlando 'Cachaíto' López | Musician |
| Yanko Pichardo | Musician |
| José Antonio Rodríguez | Musician |
| Alberto 'Virgilio' Valdés | Musician |
| Guillermo Iglesias | Driver |
| Olga María Fernández González | Production Assistant |
| David Vigdor | Production Assistant |
| Jerry Boys | Music |
| Brigit Hillenius | Camera Operator |
| Stephen Consentino | Steadicam Operator |
| Orada Jusatayanond | Sound Editor |
| Martin Müller | Sound |
| Mitch Bogard | Lighting Design |
| Julio Simoneau | Focus Puller |
| Trevor Adkinson | Assistant Editor |
| Mark Sherman | Online Editor |
| Octavio Calderon | Musician |
| Ibrahim Ferrer Jr. | Musician |
| Roberto Garcia | Musician |
| Pío Leyva | Musician |
| Benito Suárez Magana | Musician |
| Gilberto 'Papi' Oviedo | Musician |
| Amadito Valdés | Musician |
| Diosdado Navarro | Driver |
| Victor Gutierrez | Accountant |
| Rachel Florian | Post Production Coordinator |
| Robby Müller | Director of Photography |
| Theo Bierkens | Camera Operator |
| Joachim Cooder | Musician |
| Ry Cooder | Music Producer, Musician |
| Juan de Marcos González | Musician |
| Ibrahim Ferrer | Musician |
| Carlos González | Musician |
| Eliades Ochoa | Musician |
| Omara Portuondo | Musician |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Rosa Bosch | Associate Producer |
| Ulrich Felsberg | Producer |
| Deepak Nayar | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 | 15 | 24 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 16 | 31 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 | 17 | 29 | 12 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 26 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 21 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 659 | 774 |