Twelve historical figures in the world of Dominican music took to the stage at the end of Sol Caribe, to sing “The Door of the New World,” the final song heard in the documentary film.

The III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival closed on Sunday with its final film presentation being the documentary Sol Caribe. Many of the musicians featured in the film came together on stage and sang at the ceremony, held in the National Palace.

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez attended the event which began at 7:30 pm and ended with a standing ovation.

Sol Caribe is about the roots, development and current state of popular Dominican musical with its four main genres of popular and typical meringue, bachata and son as seen through the eyes of 12 of its greatest musicians such as Milly Quezada, Wilfrido Vargas, Joseíto Mateo, Fefita La Grande, Jhonny Ventura, el Cieguito de Nagua and Francisco Ulloa.

Well-known bachata musicians, or bachateros, included José Manuel Calderón, pioneer of the genre and Luis Segura. Of the son musicians, Fernando Echavarría, Francis Santana and Cuco Valoy were on hand.

After the screening of the documentary, came the cherry on top: a 17-piece orchestra under the direction of Jorge Taveras, that accompanied the musicians in a rendition of the song “The Door to the New World” (“Puerta del Nuevo Mundo,”) The song, written by Huchi Lora, combines all four of the above-mentioned popular musical genres.

The documentary is based on an unprecedented series of concert tours made by these pioneers of Dominican music. The story in the documentary, told through images and sounds, introduces people around the world to this influential music that developed in the cradle of America.

The movie was directed by Félix Limardo and produced by Vìctor Dumé; Eddy Martínez and Ron Willens are executive producers. Editing was done by Iván Torres and Félix Limardo. Mairení Films produced the film.

In this 70-minute film, Sol Caribe shows the evolution of the different styles and rhythms that originated in the Dominican Republic as seen through the eyes of those who promoted them. Through personal stories and performances of the best Dominican musicians, the film explores how the music is conceived and how these popular genres were exported around the world.

“Through a series of performances, especially of orchestras and improvised musical sessions that occurred in historic places, we are witnessing the musical heritage that has never before been documented to this extent and in all its aspects,” said the film’s producers.

They added that Sol Caribe “is a celebration of culture seen skillfully through the eyes of yesterday’s visionaries and today’s innovators.” Adding that “although Dominican music is very popular in Canton, Ohio, and Spain, this will be the first film of its type: a celebration of the lively form of Latin music through the experiences and memories of the men and women who have made millions of people move their feet to their beat.”