The Film

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Cumbia: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto is a film on the music of the Gaiteros of San Jacinto, of the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and on the history of cumbia, one of the most popular forms of musical expression in the Americas today.

Cumbia: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto was filmed by producers Ellen Speiser and Julio León over a number of years. The story of their music is narrated by the musicians themselves, as well as well-known Colombian folklorist Delia Zapata. The footage of the film is irreplaceable, along with the music.

The film is a tribute to some of gaitero music's original and best musicians, and to Antonio "Toño" Fernández, cumbia's legendary composer, who first successfully put words to the music, paving the way for modern cumbia's enormous popularity throughout the Americas.

Documentation of the Gaiteros began in 1986, and continued over the course of several trips to Colombia. It was first released in 2003.

In addition to paying tribute to the musicians, the film aims to help preserve this folkloric tradition by educating people about this important part of Latin American musical history.