We are delighted to announce that Agridulce, a film set in Academia de Bachata, made its Latin American Premiere in April at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG)! Following its world premiere at SXSW in March, which garnered coverage in the Los Angeles Times, we are honored to have Agridulce selected for FICG, the most established film festival in Latin America.
Directed by Frank Pavich, Agridulce (Bittersweet) is a coming-of-age documentary that follows young musicians in the Dominican Republic as they explore life and love through the sounds of bachata.
The story features teacher Martires de Leon, who as the guitarist and arranger for Romeo Santos, shaped the sound of Billboard #1 album Utopia, and facilitated collaborations with Julio Iglesias, Bad Bunny and Prince Royce.
The film's debut in Mexico generated significant critical acclaim:
Milenio: Mexico's leading national outlet praised the documentary for capturing the soul of Bachata. In the feature, De Leon emphasized the long-term impact of our work: "Seeing children who started there now returning from university gives us great satisfaction. Many are already working professionally in music with popular groups, and that fills us with joy." (Read here).
Mural: Jalisco’s premier newspaper praised the film’s emotional depth, describing it as: “A profound and human film in which children and adolescents... interweave their life stories with music. Here, the rhythm does not just accompany their personal journeys, but transforms into the common thread that gives meaning to the entire narrative.” (Read here).
We are incredibly pleased to share the full list of festival selections we've received to date:
SXSW: Austin, TX, USA (March 12, 2026)
FICG: Guadalajara, Mexico (April 19, 2026)
AFI DC Caribbean FilmFest: Washington DC, USA (June 7 & 10, 2026)
In-Edit Brazil: Sao Paulo, Brazil (June 17, 2026)*
Castlemaine Documentary Festival: Castlemaine, Australia (June 28, 2026)
Doqumenta: Querétaro, Mexico (August 5, 2026)*
In-Edit Barcelona: Barcelona, Spain (October 29, 2026)**Date to be officially confirmed.
Visit agridulce.com to learn more, or email hola@academiadebachata.org if you are interested in learning how to get involved with our upcoming festival run.
As we celebrate this major achievement for our students and the mission of Academia de Bachata, we invite you to support the next generation of bachata musicians by making a donation to the Academia today.
