Film Screenings / Programs / Series
CUBAN CULTURAL CENTER NEW YORK PRESENTS: ‘THE CUBAN NEXUS’
August 20 – August 30
FREE ONLINE SCREENINGS!
‘THE CUBAN NEXUS’ DOCUMENTARY SERIES
August 20-30
This online film series gathers together a selection of highly acclaimed documentaries by Cuban, American, and European filmmakers – half of them women – reflecting a rich variety of themes, but all with Cuba as a point of reference. The films included here explore the plight of Soviet wives in Cuba who fall victim to the trappings of the Cold War; the groundbreaking career of renowned Cuban-American playwright María Irene Fornés, as she is beset by dementia; the existential depreciation of the New Man theory in present-day Havana; Cuban students and workers caught in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall; a Cuban exile and self-proclaimed “elevator man” in the bustle of Manhattan; gay persecution in Cuba seen through the eyes of celebrated writer Reinaldo Arenas; a group of avid Cuban skateboarders striving to advance in their sport; the stark realities faced by the poorest of rural Cubans; the encounter of jazz pianist Bebo Valdés and flamenco singer El Cigala, who fuse their very distinct talents to create musical magic; and an in-depth profile of William Morgan, the legendary American comandante who fought alongside Castro only to later face the firing squad.
The selection of feature-length documentaries is enhanced by five unique shorts: the seminal 1961 film PM, depicting life in Havana’s waterfront bars and cafés shortly after the Bay of Pigs invasion; MODEL TOWN, which reveals the fascinating origins of Hershey, a Cuban town dating back to the early decades of the 20th century; PERSON, a poetic depiction of five ordinary citizens; A SHORT RADIOGRAPHY OF HIPHOP IN CUBA, a riveting account of the hip-hop movement in Cuba; and CARIDAD AND THE ROOSTER, which offers a glimpse of the special bond between a Cuban woman and a rooster.
All the screenings in this series will be available for streaming free-of-charge! Most of them will be followed by virtual Q&As with the filmmakers or other participants.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS ALL THE SCREENINGS AT THE SCHEDULED TIMES.
Co-presented by The Cuban Cultural Center of New York and Anthology Film Archives.
Oneyda González & Gustavo Pérez
THEY WOULD ALL BE QUEENS / TODAS IBAN A SER REINAS
2006, 55 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
This film recounts the stories of several Soviet women living in or around Camaguey, Cuba, all of whom married Cuban men and moved to Cuba in the 1980s before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union fell and Cuba entered “The Special Period,” where food and all other goods became scarce, if not non-existent, these women found themselves trapped in a situation they could have never imagined. THEY WOULD ALL BE QUEENS provides a unique insight into the fallout of a geopolitical relationship forged during the Cold War and the individuals whose lives were deeply affected by it.
Thurs, Aug 20 at 7:00 and Fri, Aug 28 at 9:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director and with the film’s writer and producer, Oneyda González!
Katja Esson
VERTICAL TRAVELER
2000, 43 min. In English.
The late Aurelio Alvarez, a self-proclaimed “elevator man” devoted to vertical travel in the vertical city of New York, is the focus of this unique documentary, a film that interweaves the history of the elevator with Alvarez’s own life and fascination with the subject. A gifted mechanical engineer, Alvarez arrived in New York as a Cuban exile in 1961 when he was still a teenager. He was first employed as an office boy at GAL Manufacturing Corporation, where he rose to become a Senior Engineer. He authored several patents, including the Rope Gripper, a device that prevents an elevator from free falling and that was subsequently adopted as standard code for new elevators in North America and Europe. Widely regarded as the leading expert in elevator mechanics in NYC, Alvarez was often consulted to solve problems that others could not.
Thurs, Aug 20 at 9:00 and Tues, Aug 25 at 7:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director!
Michelle Memran
THE REST I MAKE UP
2018, 79 min. In English.
A lyrical and heartrending documentary about the visionary and avant-garde Cuban-American playwright María Irene Fornés. The film profiles her career in New York and follows her over several bittersweet years as Alzheimer’s steals her memories. Although she is dealing with dementia, Fornés begins a collaboration with filmmaker Michelle Memran to explore her remembered past.
Fri, Aug 21 at 6:30 and Wed, Aug 26 at 6:30. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director!
Carlos Carcas & Fernando Trueba
BEBO’S AND CIGALA’S KITCHEN / LA COCINA DE BEBO Y CIGALA
2003, 58 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
A thrilling documentary which chronicles the collaboration between two music giants: Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés and Andalusian singer Diego El Cigala, with images that range from the first working session on the day they met for the first time to the rehearsals and recording of “Lágrimas Negras.”
Fri, Aug 21 at 9:00 and Wed, Aug 26 at 9:00.
Kristofer Ríos & Julian Moura-Busquets
HAVANA SKATE DAYS
2017, 85 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
An intimate portrait of Cuba and its current struggles told through the story of Havana’s nascent skate scene. The film follows Yojany Pérez, a young, talented skateboarder trying to promote extreme sports in Cuba, and his tight knit crew of skateboarders.
Sat, Aug 22 at 2:00 and Sat, Aug 29 at 5:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the directors, writer/editor Ismael de Diego, and some of the skaters from the film!
Ricardo Bacallao
CUBANS ON THE EDGE OF THE BERLIN WALL
2014, 52 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
In 1989, after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, many Cuban students and workers in Germany decided to remain there, rather than return to Cuba, as was demanded of them. They were suddenly caught in a no man’s land, bereft of all the government support previously provided to them. This is their story.
Sat, Aug 22 at 5:00 and Sun, Aug 30 at 2:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director!
Kim Hopkins
VOICES OF THE SEA / VOCES DEL MAR
2018, 83 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
A moving documentary revealing the stark realities faced by the poorest of rural Cubans. With unique access and empathy, the film tells the story of a 30-something mother of four longing for a better life. The tension between wife and aging husband – one desperate to leave, the other content to stay – builds into a high-stakes family drama after her brother and the couple’s neighbors escape.
Sun, Aug 23 at 2:00 and Sun, Aug 30 at 4:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director!
Adriana Bosch
AMERICAN COMANDANTE
2015, 60 min. In English.
William Morgan – who in his early life had been a merchant marine, an Army deserter, and ex-con, a circus fire-eater (married to a snake charmer), and a street soldier for the mob – settled in Miami in 1954 at the age of 26. It was there that he first heard rumblings of a revolt on the island of Cuba. Morgan headed to Havana and soon took up arms with a guerilla group in the Escambray Mountains. While the men of the Second Front were initially suspicious of the strange American, Morgan quickly proved invaluable, earning the rank of comandante. What followed is a tale of the rapid rise and deadly fall of a man caught between two nations – stripped of his American citizenship, but ultimately imprisoned and executed by the Cuban regime for which he fought.
Mon, Aug 24 at 7:00 and Thurs, Aug 27 at 9:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director!
Ricardo Figueredo Oliva
THE CUBAN THEORY OF THE PERFECT SOCIETY / LA TEORÍA CUBANA DE LA SOCIEDAD PERFECTA
2018, 61 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Filmmaker Ricardo Figueredo, a resident of Havana, delves into the theory of the “New Man” as it has become manifest six decades after its official endorsement by the Cuban government. This incisive exploration unveils personal testimonials from a diverse group of ordinary citizens, including workers, artists, and intellectuals, who provide a raw portrait of contemporary Cuban society.
Mon, Aug 24 at 9:00 and Thurs, Aug 27 at 7:00.
Manuel Zayas
ODD PEOPLE OUT / SERES EXTRAVAGANTES
2005, 54 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
A documentary about the process of marginalization, repression, and denial of the gay community during the first two decades of the Cuban Revolution, through the eyes and voice of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. He is the main character in an account by other writers and artists who were part of his life, and who were also punished and persecuted by the Cuban regime. ODD PEOPLE OUT constructs a kaleidoscopic depiction of Reinaldo’s life, of the Cuban gay community that surrounded him before the revolution, and of the hardships he endured after it. A unique testimony of a unique time and a unique artist, the film combines rare archival material, including audio recordings of the writer’s voice, with contemporary footage clandestinely shot in Cuba.
Tues, Aug 25 at 9:00 and Fri, Aug 28 at 7:00. Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director!
PLUS, FIVE SHORT FILMS:
Both screenings will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers Orlando Jiménez Leal, Eliézer Jiménez Almeida, and Ricardo Bacallao!
Orlando Jiménez Leal & Sabá Cabrera Infante
PM
1961, 14 min. No dialogue.
A seminal film in the history of Cuban cinema, where it was censored by the government. PM engages in a cinema vérité analysis of Havana’s lower classes in waterfront bars and cafés shortly after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion.
Laimir Fano
MODEL TOWN
2007, 14 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
A short film directed by Laimir Fano as a graduation project for the Cuban National School of Art (ENA) in 2007. The film tells the fascinating story of a once-thriving modern town built by Milton Hershey in the first decade of the 20th century in Matanzas, Cuba.
Eliézer Jiménez Almeida
PERSON / PERSONA
2014, 27 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
A prostrated old man; an absent son; an ex-convict Catholic sexton who yearns for forgiveness; a mother suffering the loss of her son, who went missing at sea while trying to reach the U.S.; a writer who feels smothered by a totalitarian regime, self-exiled at home in an act of cultural resistance. Five individual stories linked only by the human condition. Everything happens on a regular day, when five people without an official social voice speak out about their lives. An award winner at the International Festival of Poor Cinema in Gíbara, Cuba, the film was later exhibited at the Cinematographic Criticism Workshop in Camagüey – where state security intervened. It has not been shown in Cuba since.
Ricardo Bacallao
A SHORT RADIOGRAPHY OF HIPHOP IN CUBA
2014, 20 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
An in-depth analysis of the emergence of the hip-hop movement in Cuba, taking as a point of departure the 1995 Rap Festival founded by a group of young rappers in Havana, bringing to light their subsequent clash with the government-controlled cultural institutions and their eventual detour to the underground.
Carmen Peláez
CARIDAD AND THE ROOSTER / CARIDAD Y EL GALLO
2020, 3 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Filmed two weeks into the COVID lockdown in Miami, this is a tender rendition of the surreal and special bond that spontaneously developed between a Cuban lady and a rooster.
Sun, Aug 23 at 5:00 and Sat, Aug 29 at 2:00.
