Canadian Premiere
In northern Dominican Republic, away from the tourist beaches of Cabarete, four aspiring young musicians study at the world’s only bachata music school: the Academia de Bachata. Under the tutelage of internationally renowned guitarist Martires de Leon, the students — Yurian, Orianny, Edickson, and Frandy — receive both a musical education and mentorship as they grow and find their places in the world.
Both a celebration of bachata, with its heartsick lyricism and upbeat Afro-Caribbean guitar, and a moving coming-of-age story, Agridulce (Bittersweet) is tinged with melancholy but full of joy. Filmmaker Frank Pavich (Jodorowsky’s Dune) spent years with these children and their families, documented here in a nonintrusive, cinéma vérité style. The result is a film that captures the weight of time and circumstance, as the students are forced to grapple with realities beyond their years, while staying rooted in hopefulness of a bright future through music.
Presented by
Media Partner
Edickson Garcia Disla, Frandy Direze, Orianny Bonilla, Yerian Castillo, Martires de Leon
USA/Dominican Republic
2026
In Spanish with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Ave
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Donald Rosenfeld
Producer
Benjamin de Menil
Cinematography
Nicolas Ordonez Carillo
Editor
Fabian Caballero
Original Music
Jose Villa Castillo, Yerian Castillo, Frandy Direze, Orianny Bonilla
Frank Pavich
Frank Pavich is a Croatian-American filmmaker and producer. At age 22, he directed N.Y.H.C. (1999), about New York’s hardcore scene, and in 2003 he co-produced Die, Mommie, Die!, which went on to win the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. In 2013 he directed Jodorowsky’s Dune, which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and was included on the 2014 Academy Awards shortlist for Best Documentary Feature.
Filmography: N.Y.H.C. (1999); Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013)
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