Orestes Vilato

Santos–Skin to Skin is a film portrait of community activist and seven-time Grammy nominee John Santos, a “keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame.” Rich in unforgettable musical performances, Santos links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles against urban gentrification, social inequality, and racial injustice. His hands on the skin of the conga peel back the legacy of colonialism while navigating the politics of culture and global migration. One of the world’s foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music, Santos, through his mixed Puerto Rican & Cape Verdean heritage, musical storytelling and legendary percussion classes, strives to unite and expand his kaleidoscopic audience.