In Everybody Loves Salsa, Cali is more than just a backdrop; it’s the heartbeat of the project. As the world capital of salsa, Cali exudes rhythm, warmth, and movement. Its streets, monuments, and surrounding flora and fauna became the foundation for the short film.

Everybody Loves Salsa transports you to Cali, introducing you to both the real place and the dreamlike canvas of the project through the blend of hand-drawn elements and real images of emblematic spots of the city:

Cristo Rey, the towering statue of Jesus that watched over the city from up in the hills.

Museo La Tertulia,  Cali’s famous modern art museum along the river.

Sebastian de Belalcazar, the monument to the Spanish conquistador that founded the city.

La Torre de Cali, the city’s tallest skyscraper.

 El Paseo de Los Gatos, an artful riverside walkway filled with sculptures of cats, and La Ermita, the iconic neo-Gothic church that lights up the city centre. 

Cali embodies the essence of Colombia: the joy, spontaneity, expression, and liveliness of the city make it the perfect setting for a short film all about salsa and latin identity. 

The short film captures this spirit by combining animation with personal photographs of the city.

Emblematic spots of the city

  • Sebastian de Belalcazar

  • La Tertulia

  • The Cat by the River

  • Cat girlfriend

  • Cali skyline

  • La Linterna

  • West Cali

  • Dapa

  • The Cali River

  • La Ermita

  • Cristo Rey

“At first, when I lived in Canada, my idea was to make all the backgrounds much more abstract, just colours and shapes. The first version of the film was like that. But when I returned to the project a few years later, after moving to Cali and visiting all these places, I decided to ground it more in reality. It went from being an abstract, non-descriptive space to being set in Cali. The locations came to me little by little; whenever I discovered a new spot, I’d think, that would be perfect for the film. It was a very organic process, almost like keeping a diary. I was simply recording what I saw and lived, and it naturally found its way into the story.

The intention was to pay homage to Cali and Colombia. As someone who’s not Colombian, it’s important to me that this project is seen as my interpretation of the city as someone relatively new here.”

  • Daniel Cordero

The backgrounds

Using Cali as a cultural and visual anchor honours and amplifies the city’s deep connection to salsa. In Cali, salsa is not just a dance; it’s a language used to connect with people and an outlet to express yourself. It is only natural that Everybody Loves Salsa is the home for this story, as it not only celebrates latin identity and salsa but also Cali’s culture, warmth, and landscape. 

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Designing characters