Buena Vista Social Club

Name: Buena Vista Social Club
Genre: Documentary, Music
Released: 1999-06-04
Duration: 1 h 45 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrer

1999·Movie·G·105 min·★ 7.5(377)

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“In Havana, music isn't a pastime, it's a way of life.”

In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.

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Where to watch Buena Vista Social Club in United States

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Click a service to open Buena Vista Social Club there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Buena Vista Social Club streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	Disney Plus, Curzon Amazon Channel	Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store
Canada	Criterion Channel, Crave, Tubi TV, CTV	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Australia	DocPlay, DocPlay Amazon Channel, Beamafilm, Brollie	Google Play Movies, YouTube, Beamafilm
Germany	Amazon Arthaus Channel, Arthaus+ Apple TV channel, Arthaus+	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
France	—	Canal VOD, Orange VOD, Sooner
Spain	Amazon Prime Video, Acontra Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tivify	Acontra Plus
Japan	U-NEXT	—
South Korea	Watcha, TVING	wavve, Google Play Movies

About Buena Vista Social Club

Buena Vista Social Club is a 1999 English-language documentary and music film directed by Wim Wenders. The cast is led by Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Ry Cooder. It has a runtime of 1h 45m. Viewers rate it 7.5/10 across 400 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel.

Buena Vista Social Club was produced by Kintop Pictures and Road Movies and made in Germany and United States of America. It was released on June 4, 1999, and carries a G certification.

Director: Wim Wenders
Writers: Wim Wenders
Release date: June 4, 1999
Original language: English
Age rating: G
Status: Released
Country: Germany, United States of America
Production: Kintop Pictures, Road Movies

#cuba#havana, cuba

Buena Vista Social Club cast & crew

Buena Vista Social Club was directed by Wim Wenders and written by Wim Wenders.

The cast features Compay Segundo as Self, Eliades Ochoa as Self, Ry Cooder as Self, Joachim Cooder as Self, Ibrahim Ferrer as Self, and Omara Portuondo as Self.

Behind the camera, cinematography is by Jörg Widmer and it was produced by Deepak Nayar and Ulrich Felsberg.

Is Buena Vista Social Club worth watching?

Buena Vista Social Club holds an audience score of 7.5/10 from 377 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed documentary films.

At 1h 45m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy documentary and music, Buena Vista Social Club is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Buena Vista Social Club

In United States, you can stream Buena Vista Social Club on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and Shout! Factory TV, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.