The Sound of Belonging

The Sound of Belonging is a film that captures the essence and impact of Miami Sound Choir, a 120-member, non-professional, underfunded, urban choir.  More than a choir, it is a grassroots movement of belonging, an experiment in mutual care, radical inclusion, and unbridled self expression—a space where every voice matters, and everyone belongs. 

 
At a time when loneliness and social fragmentation are rising across the United States, The Sound of Belonging offers a portrait of community built through collective art making. Set in Miami—one of America’s most culturally vibrant yet disconnected cities—the documentary follows a four-month choir season from chaotic beginnings to a polished final public performance.

Miami Sound Choir has no auditions, obligatory fees, or expectations of perfection. People of all ages, identities, abilities, and backgrounds gather weekly at the Little Haiti Cultural Center to sing, connect, and create a space where every voice matters. Songs take shape at weekly rehearsals-but something even more important is happening.

The film centers on intimate portraits of choir members whose lives have been shaped by exclusion: a mother recovering from postpartum depression; a former ultra-Orthodox man rebuilding his identity; a singer with a developmental disability rejected by other choirs; a  soprano navigating wheelchair accessibility barriers; a venture capitalist adjusting to vision loss; and Merisier herself, learning to set boundaries. For each of them, the choir becomes more than a musical ensemble—it becomes a place of healing, visibility, and mutual care.

As the season unfolds, the choir faces another challenge: survival. Operating without institutional support, members rally together to fundraise, organize, and support one another in order to keep the choir alive. Their efforts reveal that belonging not an abstract ideal, but as an active practice of showing up for one another.

The film crescendos with the choir’s final public performance, where scattered voices unite in a exhilarating celebration of community.

The Miami-based team behind the film includes:
Director: Gina Margillo  
Director of Photography – Ed Talavera
Lighting – Ed Talavera
Sound – Vasily Shalashov and Gragham Viegut
Graphics – Dimitri Chamy
Advising Producer – Kareem Tabsch