Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa)(1972)

Our Latin Thing is Leon Gast's landmark musical documentary capturing New York City's vibrant Latin culture in the early 1970s. The film documents Spanish Harlem through live performances by the Fania All Stars and other salsa legends, alongside intimate portraits of street life in El Barrio. Gast moves between the Cheetah club's packed dance floor and the neighborhood's rooftops and backstreets, weaving in scenes of cockfights and Santeria rituals that reveal the spiritual and social fabric of the community. A raw, energetic record of urban Hispanic American life, Our Latin Thing preserves the music, rhythm, and resilience of a pivotal moment in New York's cultural history.