Bembé
Director: Zayre Ferrer
United States, 2025, 12 min
Shooting Format:Digital
Festival Year:2026
Category:Narrative Short
Genres:Comedy, Dramedy
Cast:Nathaly Navarro, Mauro Castillo, Rafael Castillo, Lex Lumpkin, Fernando Huc, Vico Ortiz, Carlos el Grande
Crew:Writer: Zayre Ferrer. Producer: Zayre Ferrer, Yvonne Zima, Mitzi Miller, Richie Siegel, Marisa Torelli-Pedevska, Olivia Handrahan. Cinematographer: Daniel Patterson
Email:bembemovie@gmail.com
Synopsis
A bandless Merengue bandleader hustles her way through the flourishing Latin Music scene of 1980s New York, learning that
if you wanna make it, you can’t do it alone.
Trailer
About the director
Zayre Ferrer is a Peabody-nominated writer, director, and producer with over 15 years of experience. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, they hold MFAs in both Dramatic Writing and Musical Theatre Writing. They’ve been awarded the Yip Harburg Lyricist Award, the Elphaba Thropp Fellowship, and the Visionary Fellowship for Disabled Filmmakers. Their credits include writing on HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death and co-creating/executive producing the Netflix original Tijuana.
Filmmaker's note
Instability in Latin America led to a wave of new immigration in the 70s and 80s. Many of us came to New York and found the city at its lowest when we were at our lowest, too. This was the land of opportunity we’d heard so much about, and we helped to revive it as we reinvented ourselves. The city offered itself up as a living canvas, open stage, and captive audience. The kids on the street let their imaginations run rampant, creating a one-of-a-kind world of damn-near magical experiences. Bembé is a love letter to these times and to these people.