Shot List
Episode 1: The Arrival
Opening Scene
Wide aerial shot of Samaná’s lush green landscapes and turquoise waters.
Archival illustration/painting of 19th-century ships sailing from U.S. harbors.
Narration introduces the 1825 migration of free Black Americans to Hispaniola.
Narrative Arc
Historical context: why the Haitian government invited Black settlers.
Taina preparing to leave the U.S. with her children, paralleling the historic departure.
Emotional interview segments with historians and descendants in Samaná.
Key Visuals
Reenactment-style sequences: families packing trunks, setting sail.
Old Protestant churches and family homes in Samaná.
Taina walking through Las Terrenas, reflecting on her new beginning.
Closing Moment
Taina on the beach at sunset, saying: “Like my ancestors, I am searching for freedom, for roots, for a new chapter.”
Episode 2: The Sea
Opening Scene
Slow-motion footage of humpback whales breaching off Samaná Bay.
Overlay of maps showing migration paths of whales and 1825 settlers.
Narrative Arc
Connection between natural migration and human migration.
Taina’s reflection: “The sea is both what separated us—and what brought us here.”
Exploration of oral histories of crossing the Atlantic.
Key Visuals
Whale songs contrasted with gospel/spiritual hymns of the settlers.
Archival documents from ships’ passenger lists.
Fishermen sharing stories of the sea’s dangers and blessings.
Closing Moment
Taina and her children sail along the coast at golden hour, the waves echoing history.
Episode 3: The Church and the Afros
Opening Scene
Bells ringing at an old Protestant church in Samaná.
Inside: children singing hymns in English, Spanish, and Creole.
Narrative Arc
Churches as pillars of identity and survival for Afro-descendant communities.
Taina interviewing pastors, community elders, and young people about faith.
Afro hairstyles as cultural resistance and pride, from ancestors to modern times.
Key Visuals
Pan across stained-glass windows, worn Bibles, and choirs singing.
Portraits of community members with natural Afros, braids, and locks.
Archival photos of early congregations.
Closing Moment
Taina looks in the mirror, her hair styled naturally, connecting her to both faith and identity.
Episode 4: Rhythms of the Bachata
Opening Scene
Night scene: locals playing guitar and singing Bachata under string lights.
Rhythmic clapping and dancing around Taina.
Narrative Arc
History of Bachata: from marginalized music to a global phenomenon.
Taina taking dance lessons—sometimes struggling, sometimes laughing.
How rhythm preserves memory and community spirit.
Key Visuals
Street musicians in Samaná.
Archival footage of early Bachata performances.
Cross-generational interviews: youth, elders, and professional dancers.
Closing Moment
Taina, sweaty and smiling, finally keeping pace with the music: “This rhythm lives in me now.”
Episode 5: Afro Descendant
Opening Scene
Family reunion: Taina meeting distant relatives with hugs, tears, laughter.
Old photo albums and family trees spread across a kitchen table.
Narrative Arc
Oral histories of ancestors: why they came, how they survived.
Exploration of identity in the Dominican Republic today—race, memory, belonging.
Taina confronting her own sense of self as an Afro-descendant.
Key Visuals
Archival photographs, faded letters, community murals.
Testimonies of younger generations about what being Afro-descendant means today.
Taina journaling her reflections.
Closing Moment
Montage: ocean waves, church choirs, Bachata dancers, whales, family voices.
Final words from Taina: “Our journey is not just about where we come from—it’s about who we continue to become.”
Fade to black.