THE SOUND OF BELONGING

GINA MARGILLO; PRODUCER & DIRECTOR

KAREEM TASBCH, PRODUCE

ED TALAVERA, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

RICARDO LUIS TREVINO, CINEMATOGRAPHER & EDITOR

SUMMARY

The film’s “container” is the weekly rehearsal at the Little Haiti Cultural Center during a 15-week season— the unconventional warm ups, stumbling over lyrics in Portuguese, Spanish and Haitian Creole, casting for solos, and the gradual progression of mastering songs in preparation for a stunning final performance. Within this backdrop, the very existence of the choir is under financial threat. The director is single handedly running operations on donations. Meanwhile individual members grapple with personal obstacles like immigration status, mental health crisis, disabilities, and homelessness. Under the distinctly inclusive leadership of the director, the choir forges forward, in unexpected and creative ways, to maintain their “sanctuary” and to problem solve in support of ithe ndividuals in need. 

Tone and Style

The Sound of Belonging is a lyrical short film blending cinema vérité footage of rehearsals, Interpersonal converstaions, extra-curricular choir activities, and a performance.

This is a “show not tell” documentary without formal interviews. You’ll see Miami’s lesser known cityscapes, storefronts, graffiti and cultural iconography in the neighborhood of Little Haiti.

Musically, you’ll hear songs of every genre (from protest and pop, to salsa and Haitian folk. from the Carribean, North and South America, sung in Haitian Creole, English and Spanish.