'Santos — Skin to Skin' Documentary

“The Latin music Renaissance man”(San Francisco Chronicle), Santos is an invaluable educator and cultural activist, a seven-time GRAMMY nominee, and keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame steeped in Cuban and Puerto Rican folkloric traditions as well as salsa and Latin jazz. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District amidst an extended family of Puerto Rican musicians, he’s been at the center of the Bay Area’s Latin music scene for nearly four decades. As a visionary bandleader and noted historian, he has served on the Smithsonian Institution’s Latin Jazz Advisory Committee, and was part of the inaugural group of SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Directors at the SFJAZZ Center during the 2013-2014 Season, along with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Regina Carter, and Miguel Zenón.

A decade in the making, Santos — Skin to Skin is an illuminating portrait of an artist juggling the daily challenges of life, supporting a family, creating art, and following his muse in a tireless quest to propel Afro-Caribbean culture onto the world stage. Produced, directed, and edited by Searchlight Films co-founder Kathryn Golden, the film debuted at the South By Southwest Film Festival in March, 2022.