Film screening followed by a panel moderated by Alexandra Délano Alonso, Professor of Politics and Global Studies at The New School.

Panelists:

Jorge Castillo — Founder and Director of Fandango Fronterizo
Arturo O’Farrill — Pianist, composer, and faculty member at The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes School of Music
Patricio Hidalgo — Director of Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective
Alexandra Délano Alonso — Professor of Politics and Global Studies at The New School

ABOUT THE FILM

Fandango at the Wall follows Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra founder and conductor Arturo O’Farrill to the remote regions of Veracruz, Mexico, where he meets and collaborates with masters of son jarocho. Son jarocho is a 300-year-old folk music tradition rooted in the land that combines African, Indigenous, and Spanish influences.

After Arturo’s inspiring journey to a place where time seems to stand still, he and his orchestra join the masters of son jarocho at the United States–Mexico border for a son jarocho music and dance festival called Fandango Fronterizo, founded by Jorge Francisco Castillo.

The festival takes place simultaneously on both sides of the United States–Mexico border, transforming a structure built to divide into a space that unites.

With a poetic musical approach inspired by the son jarocho tradition, Fandango at the Wall reveals a Mexico seldom depicted on screen and explores the current realities of mass human migration driven by violence, poverty, and corruption.

Director: Varda Bar-Kar
Producers: Kabir Sehgal, Doug Davis
Executive Producers: Quincy Jones, Andrew Young, Carlos Santana

Featuring:
Douglas Brinkley
Regina Carter
Wendy Cao Romero 
Jorge Francisco Castillo
Mandy Gonzalez
Fernando Guadarrama 
Ramón Gutiérrez 
Jacob Hernández 
Patricio Hidalgo 
Arturo O’Farrill 
Antonio Sanchez
Yaratczé Hidalgo Sandoval
Kabir Sehgal
Tacho Utrera 
Andrés Vega 
Martha Vega 
The Villalobos Brothers

Fandango at the Wall (Official HBO Trailer)