SHARING THE WEALTH
DIRECTED BY JULIO MONTERO
SYNOPSIS
A small group of Cubans enrich their Vancouver home doing what they love most. We follow Yula, Toto, DJ Kubanito, Julio Montero and the Julio Avila Cuban Band, as they show us how their passions impact our community.
GENRE
Documentary
DURATION
22’
RECORDING FORMAT
Full HD
SOUND
Stereo
LENGUAGE
English & Spanish
AVAILABLE SUBTITLES
English
YEAR
2022
COUNTRY
Canada/Cuba
SCREEN FORMAT
1920 x 1080
TRAILER
CHARACTERS
Toto Berriel
Toto Berriel was born in Matanzas, a land rich in Rumba and Afro-Cuban traditions of yoruba (lucumí, takua, arará), ewe fon, ganga (mandinga, congo), bantú and carabalí origin. Raised in the legendary Rumba family of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, he without a doubt represents our ancestral rhythms’ legacy. By ancestral, we're specifically referring to purely African music from at least 200 years ago, that despite inevitable evolutionary and adaptive changes, is now part of Cuba’s heritage.
Yula
Dance instructor, choreographer and performer Yula has created spaces for women to learn, grow and connect. The complexity and beauty of the art form she transmits further deepens one’s understanding of rhythm and movement. Yula is from Havana, a capital where Rumba culture flourishes, and where a strong African heritage permeates many aspects of life.
Carlos
In Vancouver, his home for almost 20 years, Karlos is a founding member of the Cuban dance community, playing an integral role in its expansion as well. Although known to many for his work as a dance educator, a keen passion for music has led Karlos to put more efforts in his work as a DJ and entertainer, taking Cuban music literally everywhere, be it a social dance event, the streets of Vancouver or even a boat.
Julio Avila
Director, composer, arranger and lead singer Julio Avila was born in Cuba’s easternmost province of Guantánamo, a land of captivating rhythms like nengón and changüí. Guantánamo’s cultural heritage has also been largely enriched by neighbouring Haiti after waves of immigration that took place in the 1700s. With the creation of the exciting Julio Avila Cuban Band, he's had to learn first hand about the challenges of producing real art in Vancouver.
Julio Montero
Julio comes from Santiago de Cuba, a vibrant city and culture hub regarded as the birthplace of Son, and home of the explosive conga santiaguera. He attended university to become a language teacher, but born in a family where everybody dances, destiny led him to fuse teaching with dance. In Vancouver, has built a community teaching a traditional Cuban dance called "Casino" (known around the world as Cuban salsa).
ABOUT
Julio Montero is an emerging creator based in Vancouver (Canada), a city where he’s worked as a dance educator and cultural promoter for two decades. After launching Qooltura in 2018, Julio has immersed deeper into the world of audiovisuals and content creation by helping businesses and entrepreneurs gain visibility, while also exploring his personal passion for music and dance through the camera lens. “Sharing The Wealth” marks the start of an ambitious exploratory journey about music and dance as an anthropological phenomenon, as part of our human legacy, and as a source of well-being.