Celia Cruz Documentary on PBS.

The sound of salsa music vibrated through the halls of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History as thousands celebrated the opening of Azúcar! The Life and Music Celia Cruz exhibit on May of last year.

Surrounded by Celia’s most-precious belonging, exhibit co-curator and filmmaker Joe Cardona sensed Celia’s spirit all around. “She was there, in spirit, in the faces of the dancing crowd and through her treasured belongings – from her make-up table and small statuettes of saints, to her show-stopping gowns,” Cardona recalls.

A Celia fan since childhood, award winning director Joe Cardona often spoke to the queen of Salsa about chronicling her experiences on film. He was working on her documentary when she passed in 2003, and completed the project with cooperation of her family and trusted friends. All that is, was and will forever be Celia Cruz has been captured in this 90-minute documentary which will be broadcasted on PBS during 2006 Hispanic Heritage Month.

Titled CELIA: The Queen, the documentary recounts the remarkable life and music of Celia Cruz – from her humble beginnings in Cuba to the six decades of international fame. Her life is revealed through first hand testimonies from the Queen of Music herself, and musicians, artists and friends such as Quincy Jones, Johnny Pacheco, Gloria Estefan, and many others. The documentary captures the impact Celia had on music and her enormous contribution to universal culture.

CELIA: The Queen will debut in private, star-studded screenings in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, and will later air nationally on PBS. Publicitas LHM is managing the limited marketing sponsorship opportunities for these exclusive media showings and the broadcast premier.

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