THE ACCORDION KINGS: The Story of Colombian Vallenato Music

This Smithsonian Network film captures the energy of a six-day festival of accordion music that takes place every year in a lush valley near Colombia's Caribbean coast. The fast, upbeat melodies of vallenato, have universal appeal, says the documentary's producer, Alan Tomlinson. Vallenato can "reach out across distances; perhaps create a new understanding of Colombia". The rythm, first documented in the late 1800s, has come to define coastal Colombia almost as much as the works of author Gabriel García Márquez. In fact, the Nobel Prize winner is said to have described his epic novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, as a 400-page vallenato. “Vallenato”, has been popularized by singers like Carlos Vives, also featured in the film.

About the Film Director: Alan Tomlinson
Producer: Alan Tomlinson, Smithsonian Networks
Release Year: 2008
Genre: Documentary
Running time: 80 min

Plot: This Smithsonian Networks film brings alive the upbeat music of Colombia´s cowboy country. The filmmakers traveled to a remote valley in Colombia to attend a six-day festival of accordion music called “Vallenato”, which is a musical melting pot that has been popularized by singers like Carlos Vives, also featured in the film.

Thank you to Georgetown Business School and Georgetown Film and Media Studies Initiative.