The Secret Is Samaná Episode Explores Santa Bárbara de Samaná—The Cultural Heart of the Peninsula
SAMANÁ, Dominican Republic — The latest episode of The Secret Is Samaná, the travel documentary series produced by iTravel for Culture, turns its attention to a place many travelers overlook: Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the historic and cultural capital of the Samaná Peninsula.
While most visitors to the region remain within the resort-lined beaches of Las Terrenas, this episode ventures deeper into the peninsula to reveal a city rich with culture, history, and everyday life.
Guided by local host Leonyz Armand Jorge—known simply as Leon, the journey begins with a promise he repeats throughout the day:
“My house has the best view in all of Samaná.”
But before viewers ever see that view, Leon leads the crew through the city itself—introducing the people, landscapes, and traditions that shape Santa Bárbara’s identity.
The episode unfolds as a road trip through the heart of the peninsula, offering a layered portrait of Samaná beyond the postcard imagery of Caribbean travel.
Stops along the journey include the scenic Malecón boardwalk, where locals gather along the harbor, and Playa Cayacoa, a beloved beach where daily life unfolds far from the tourist crowds.
The episode also explores the region during its most magical time of year—whale watching season, when humpback whales migrate through the warm waters of Samaná Bay between February and March.
Beyond the coastline, viewers encounter a city painted with stories. Colorful murals across Santa Bárbara reflect the pride, history, and identity of the community, transforming city streets into a living canvas.
The road trip continues to Puerto Escondido, a hidden local beach tucked away from the main travel routes, before finally arriving at the long-promised destination—Leon’s home, perched high above the bay with a sweeping view of Samaná.
The journey concludes with a shared meal at D’Milagro Sazón, where authentic Dominican cuisine offers a final reminder that culture is often best understood around the table.
More than a travel guide, the episode presents Samaná as a place defined by its people, its history, and the everyday rhythms of life that many visitors never see.
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The series continues to build a deeper narrative about the Dominican Republic—one rooted in culture, community, and storytelling rather than tourism alone.
The episode was produced with the support of the Alma Film Festival, a valued collaborator helping amplify cultural storytelling through documentary media and global creative partnerships.
Episode Highlights
The Malecón boardwalk in Santa Bárbara de Samaná
Playa Cayacoa and everyday beach culture
Whale watching season in Samaná Bay (February–March)
Murals celebrating the city’s history and identity
Puerto Escondido, a hidden local beach
Authentic Dominican cuisine at D’Milagro Sazón
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About the Alma Film Festival
The Alma Film Festival was created in response to structural gaps in the global film ecosystem. By design, it is a next-generation destination, experience-based film festival and cultural convening—one that functions as a cultural intelligence engine, bringing together filmmakers, scholars, technologists, artists, institutions, and audiences from across the Global South and its diasporas.
Rooted in scholarship, innovation, and deep audience engagement, Alma prioritizes fewer films with greater intentionality, creating space for meaningful dialogue, relationship-building, and long-term collaboration. With up to 80% of the program dedicated to Global South cinema, the festival showcases narrative features, documentaries, shorts, animation, experimental works, audio storytelling, and new media—centering films that engage cultural memory, social relevance, and creative innovation.
Programming is curated in partnership with global entities and agencies, reinforcing Alma’s role as a platform for shared authorship rather than extraction. Through this approach, the festival has cultivated a global community of stakeholders spanning more than 51 cities across 35 countries.
Beyond screenings, Alma integrates fellowships, symposia, performance laboratories, editorial platforms, and emerging technologies—positioning the festival not simply as an event, but as an ecosystem. Guided by the principle “The Necessity of Something New,” the Alma Film Festival advances cultural diplomacy, fosters cross-regional collaboration, and contributes to the development of sustainable creative economies worldwide.
At its core, the Alma Film Festival is a global gathering designed to nurture both ideas and people. It embraces a kaleidoscope of cultures while intentionally shifting the social dynamic from competition to connection—creating space for collaboration, understanding, and shared growth. Alma moves us from extraction to exchange, from visibility to value, and from presence to purpose.
We are doing something new.
There is a necessity for something new.
#AlmaFilmFestival
Festival Dates: March 17–22, 2026Location: Las Terrenas, Dominican RepublicFor more information, visit: www.almafilmfestival.com
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The Alma Film Festival was created in response to structural gaps in the global film ecosystem. By design, it is a next-generation destination, experience-based film festival and cultural convening—one that functions as a cultural intelligence engine, bringing together filmmakers, scholars, technologists, artists, institutions, and audiences from across the Global South and its diasporas.
Rooted in scholarship, innovation, and deep audience engagement, Alma prioritizes fewer films with greater intentionality, creating space for meaningful dialogue, relationship-building, and long-term collaboration. With up to 80% of the program dedicated to Global South cinema, the festival showcases narrative features, documentaries, shorts, animation, experimental works, audio storytelling, and new media—centering films that engage cultural memory, social relevance, and creative innovation.
Programming is curated in partnership with global entities and agencies, reinforcing Alma’s role as a platform for shared authorship rather than extraction. Through this approach, the festival has cultivated a global community of stakeholders spanning more than 51 cities across 35 countries.
Beyond screenings, Alma integrates fellowships, symposia, performance laboratories, editorial platforms, and emerging technologies—positioning the festival not simply as an event, but as an ecosystem. Guided by the principle “The Necessity of Something New,” the Alma Film Festival advances cultural diplomacy, fosters cross-regional collaboration, and contributes to the development of sustainable creative economies worldwide.
At its core, the Alma Film Festival is a global gathering designed to nurture both ideas and people. It embraces a kaleidoscope of cultures while intentionally shifting the social dynamic from competition to connection—creating space for collaboration, understanding, and shared growth. Alma moves us from extraction to exchange, from visibility to value, and from presence to purpose.
We are doing something new.
There is a necessity for something new.
#AlmaFilmFestival
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