The International Journal of Cuban Studies
(Online) ISSN 1756-347X
Contemporary Cuban cinema
Ann Cross suggests we go on a personal journey to experience the rich cultural experience of Cuban cinema.
"We don't see things as they are but as we are."
Fernando Peréz
Why is Cuban film so elusive? UK audiences have been denied easy access to Cuban films for far too long. A shining exception is Brighton, where a series of Cuban Film Festivals have been held at the Duke of York's Picture House. In October 2002, eight Cuban films were screened, followed by ten in March 2004. November 2005 saw the launch of 'Cine City: The Brighton Film Festival', where the City of Havana featured in twelve of the films selected. (1)
Most of the Cuban films shown during these past festivals were classics, presenting a historical perspective of the development of Cuban cinema since its inception, only months after the 'triumph of the revolution'. In March of this year, the focus of the festival changed to presenting newly released Cuban films (2). The selection of four films reflected the ever-present uncertainties faced by Cubans, featuring journeys - real, metaphysical and imagined - that reveal, for example, the dilemma of whether 'to stay or to go', the pain of separation and the other consequences that arise from choices made.
Viva Cuba (director, Juan Carlos Cremata, 2005) is a story of a childhood friendship between Malu and Jorgito, disapproved by their families, one devoutly Catholic and the other committed Communists. Fearing separation, the young people run away, travelling the length of the island in search of Malu's father. After many extraordinary adventures, they find him. But will he agree that Malu can stay?
La edad de la peseta (director, Pavel Ciroud, 2006) is set in Havana in 1955. This sensitive and stylish film depicts a young boy's painful journey into the adult world. His mother escapes an unhappy marriage, taking him to stay with his grandmother Violeta. A special relationship develops that provides solace to them both, while the turbulence of personal relationships is mirrored in the approaching revolution.
The two films selected to open the Festival (Mauricio's Diary and Madrigal) were chosen because of their innovative approach and challenging themes.
Paginas del diario de Mauricio (director, Manuel Peréz, 2006). Manuel Peréz's career began with the creation of the Cuban Institute of Film (ICAIC) . In those early days, he made significant feature films but later he tended to concentrate on documentary film-making. Mauricio marks his return to feature film and Mauricio's story, although fiction, closely parallels the director's own experiences. This is a thought-provoking film, dealing with sensitive political issues. Set in 2000, the film opens with Mauricio waking up on his 60th birthday. He looks back over the previous twelve years, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Sydney Olympics and Cuba's baseball defeat at the hands of the USA. An eventful period for Mauricio, but also the time of Cuba's 'special period'. The fall of the Communist regime had disastrous consequences for Cuba's economy. The euphemistically named 'special period' of austerity is brought to life by showing its impact on ordinary people's lives. We see examples of typical Cuban solidarity in adversity. For an intellectual like Mauricio, questions inevitably arise about the uncritical Marxist dogma he teaches. He is also confronted by the reality of his wife and daughter both leaving Cuba for better opportunities abroad.
Madrigal (director, Fernando Peréz, 2006) (3). This film portrays the uncertainties of everyday life, in a complex but compelling style, confirming Fernando Peréz's place as the most original voice in Cuban Cinema today. The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in December 2007. Madrigal takes the form of a love story, set in Havana, told in two parts: 2005 and 2020. The main character, Javier, is a young actor, given to fantasy, which is why he likes writing. When he embarks on a love affair with Luisíta, a young girl locked in a world of complexes, secrets and religious ideas, truth cannot be distinguished from lies or appearances from reality. Is Javier lying, or being honest? Is he daydreaming, or experiencing a different reality? In the end, the young writer is a victim of his own games, unable to distinguish truth from fiction. The second part of the film is dedicated to René Clair, who was prevented from ending a film the way he wanted. The film invites the viewer on a journey of exploration, to the possibility of a new beginning. Peréz himself comments: "It is a film that follows an unusual approach and demands from the viewer a series of associations that are not always reached. It starts with the maxim: 'We don't see things as they are but as we are.' As a result, it is left to the viewer to reach their own interpretation - and to experience their own Madrigal."
Still from Madrigal, downloadable from www.trigon-film.org
Enrique Colina, who introduced the two films at the opening of the festival, lectures in Cuba and internationally on films and film-making. His career as a documentary film-maker was already firmly established when, in the early 1980s, he began to present and direct a weekly television programme on the broader issues of cinema, called 24 times a second. For more than two decades, this was one of the most important and prestigious programmes on national television, providing a platform for Colina's critical vision of society, and presented in his own personal style of ironic humour. His most recent film, Entre Ciclones (Between Cyclones, 2003), was shown to great acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival.
Colina's informative and frank introduction was very much appreciated by the Brighton audience, many of whom were keen to continue the discussion later at a different venue. Enthusiasts seized the opportunity to discuss the various implications of the films and to explore some of the challenges faced by Cuban film-makers. For example, criticisms of inadequacies in achieving revolutionary goals are acceptable and are frequently illustrated in films. As Fidel Castro said in Words to the Intellectuals in 1961, "anything within the Revolution: nothing against."
This celebration of recent Cuban films illustrated the versatility and creative expertise of current film-makers. We felt privileged to be able to listen to and question Enrique Colina, such an authoritative voice of Cuban cinema. Surely this rich cultural experience should be repeated in other places. Why should Brighton have this privilege, while the rest of the UK population remains virtually unable to enjoy Cuban film? We must explore ways to encourage the distribution of these outstanding Cuban films and to find solutions to the often formidable problems encountered in arranging for their screening.
Ann Cross is the founder and coordinator of the Cuban Film Festivals in Brighton.
Email x74anncross@amserve.net
Notes
(1) In 2006, following the opening selection of Cuban Films at the Brighton Film Festival, more than 30 Cuban features and documentaries were accepted by the British Film Institute (BFI) for screening at the National Film Theatre and across the UK. The BFI National Library is an invaluable source of information relating to Cuban films, film-makers, film production and the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) (Insituto Cubano para el Arte y Industria Cinematográficos)
(2) Flyer design by Russell Hill, original image by Eduardo Munoz Bachs for Enrique Colina's film Vecinos (Neighbours).
(3) Fernando Peréz' best known films include La vida es silbar (1998) and Suite Havana (2002) both of which have been screened in the UK. See also Raúl Rubio's essay 'Political Aesthetics in Contemporary Cuban Filmmaking'.
Also read
Julio Espinosa's eloquent essay on the meaning of cinema: Long journey towards the light
Copyright
Copyright for this work is held jointly between Ann Cross and the International Journal of Cuban Studies under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative 3.0 Licence
IJCS Volume 1 Issue 1 June 2008
