Cuban soprano and composer Bárbara Llanes shortlisted for Platino Awards

Renowned Cuban soprano and composer Bárbara Llanes has been named among the 20 shortlisted candidates for Best Original Score at the Platino Awards for her work on the Cuban‑Italian co‑production Baracoa, directed by Luis Ernesto Doñas.

The film has also been shortlisted in the Best First Feature category, further cementing its recognition within the Ibero‑American cinematic landscape, according to a press release from the Cuban Institute of Music.

Llanes’s original score stands out for its creative versatility and the richness of its sonic palette. From the delicate melodic conception of the incidental music that accompanies the narrative to the songs Caminos sobre el mar and Soy de corazón—set to texts by playwright and poet Norge Espinosa—the composer constructs a musical universe that engages deeply with the emotional and physical journey of the protagonists, Pepe and Jimmi, as they travel toward Baracoa, Cuba’s first city.

To record the original music, Llanes brought together a distinguished ensemble of colleagues at PM Records studios and Abdala Studio 3, including Yasek Manzano, Rodrigo García, David Faya, Adrián Aguiar, and Daiana García, alongside the Havana Chamber Orchestra.

The voices of Laritza Bacallao and María Victoria Rodríguez add a lyrical and deeply expressive layer that brings to life the nocturnal universe of the character Estrellita, enriching the film’s emotional atmosphere.

This shortlist recognition underscores Bárbara Llanes’s artistic versatility and her ability to expand the boundaries between classical music, contemporary creation, and cinematic language, strengthening her presence within the Ibero‑American audiovisual sphere.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez