FOH Cuba Film Festival

[Connoisseur Kim]

4 hours ago, PhilB said:

 

If you want it with English subtitles, it can be found here:

 

Thanks buddy! He also posts Rum and Cuban Restaurant reviews on his webstie recently. ?

[Bijan]

My favourite Cuban film, OK probably only one I've seen. But it's a great one.

Unfortunately couldn't find the whole thing with English subtitles...

 

[Ryan]

On 8/12/2020 at 6:13 PM, zigarrenziggy said:

A clip from "Soy Cuba". This opening sequence is an artistically significant development in filmmaking, inspiring directors like Scorcese and Coppola well into the 90s with it's use of "acrobatic tracking shots". Produced with help from Soviet directors, the film intends to show the suffering of the Cuban people. 

 

That is a great scene. They developed a spinning camera lens to get the water droplets off the lens after coming out of the swimming pool. The whole movie is worth a look, not on Youtube though unfortunately.

 

I like the scene so much I went about making my own version in 2015, with a go-pro strapped to my head.

Logistically, I had to do it in reverse. Street - up. The elevator part is a bit boring, I couldn't make an outside elevator! But it is one shot, one take.

I had planned to do it in the Hotel Parque Central but, after a practice run, we were told there was a "security issue" that we needed to take up with the Minister of Tourism, that was a funny exchange. "How do we meet him?"  "Sir, we have a thing in this country, it's called 'Bureaucracy'"!

Finally we did it in a friend's apartment. Nice place.

One of the "ladies" from a well-known cigar shop told me she would swim around the pool for me, to make it look more like the original. But on the day she had diarrhoea, so she wasn't going near a pool. Ah Cuba!

 

[Ryan]

One of my favourite Cuban films, 7 Days in Havana. 7 short films and 7 directors.

My favourite is probably the second film in the series, A Serbian film director goes to Cuba to accept an award and stays out a bit long! I love it, it's so familiar.

Anyway, towards the end he goes to a party with his driver rather than the official dinner. I've spent 5 years trying to find a party like this in Havana and I've come close a few times. I know exactly where the house in the set is, they don't have parties there like this.

The driver is played by Alexander Abreu, Cuban salsa singer and extraordinary trumpet player. If you ever get a chance to see his band, Habana d'Primera, go. They often play Don Cangrejo on a Saturday night. I've bumped into him a couple of times in bars / nightclubs and always bother him for a selfie. He's very patient!

The whole film is not on Youtube but well worth a look if get a chance. One of my favourite clips here.

 

[Nino]

14 hours ago, Bijan said:

My favourite Cuban film, OK probably only one I've seen. But it's a great one.

Unfortunately couldn't find the whole thing with English subtitles...

 

Thank you for the link !!

Been looking for years for this movie on the absurdities of Cuban bureocracy.

[djrey]

https://youtu.be/Ax_OX-L9DPQ

[Nino]

A very good documentary from 2006 on the Fidel/Raul power transition.

 

[Nino]

And another documentary well worth watching ( especially for baseball lovers and Clandestina fashion followers ).

Only 4 years ago and seems like a century ago.