104 | CUBA TEFATOAL FL CUDE

a blend of convenlional hagiography and

invenlive nise-en-scene. Fal Prez Urelas
slunning cinenalography, a winner of lhe
alional Prize for Cinena, nakes lhe nosl of
lhe counlrys slunning lighl.
Memories of OverdeveIopment (enorias
de| desarro||o, a US$50,000 fln nade over
fve years in lhe US and Cuba by guerrilla
flnnnaker iguel Coyula, is a unique
conpanion lo Tonas Culirrez Aleas
enories o! Underdeve|opnen!, a classic of
Cuban cinena. Sergio, an ideological relalive
of Aleas nain characler 40 years laler, is now
an exile in lhe Uniled Slales, weighed down
by nenories and renorse for pasl aclions. A
producl of lhe digilal generalion, lhe fln ranks
as one of lhe besl lhis counlry has produced.
Lisanka, a new conedy by Daniel D|az Torres,
lells lhe slory of a young peasanl wonan,
enployed as a lraclor driver near a nililary
base during lhe niddle of lhe issile Crisis
of Oclober, 1962, who is courled by lhree
possessive nen. Sone inlerpreled lhe nain
characler as a represenlalion of Cuba, as she
refuses lo be objeclifed by her suilors, one of
whon is a Fussian soldier.

n conlrasl lo lhe polilical and fornal

correclness of lhe Cuban cinena induslry,
lhe energence of fresh lalenl working
independenlly or supporled by inslilulions
such as lhe Higher nslilule of Arls (SA or lhe
nlernalional School of Cinena and TV (ECTV
conlinues lo offer slrong signs of revilalisalion.
n lerns of fln language, SA produclions veer
lowards lhe slyle of nusic videos, while lhose
al lhe ECTV are nore grounded in arl house
or experinenlal cinena.

ayckell Pedreros RevoIution, a porlrail
of lhe quasiunderground rap group, Los
Aldeanos (The Villagers, received lhe lop prize
al an annual conlesl for young lalenl. Banned
fron exhibilion, lhe fln has been widely
dislribuled via illegal DVD copies. Allhough lhe
work suffers fron a faslerlhanlife approach
lo ediling lhal sone see as quinlessenlial
cinena, lhe anlieslablishnenl allilude and
opinions of Los Aldeanos do fnd a curious
correlalive in such a slyle.

The childhood and adolescence of lhe Cuban
nalional hero, Jos arl|, was recrealed by
Fernando Prez in Jos Mart, the Eye of
the Canary (Jos ar!i, e| ojo de| canario.
Covering his fornalive years, lhe fln was
Miguel Coyulas Memories of Overdevelopment
Mayckell Pedreros Revolution
Cuba Jorge Yglesias
TEFATOAL FL CUDE CUBA | 105
f lhe young flnnakers renain innune lo
lhe Buena Visla Social Club syndrone and lry
lo renain failhful lo lheir visions inslead of
beconing prisoners of banalily, Cuban cinena
will renain lively, producing flns lhal will be
worlh seeing.
The year's best hIms
memories of OverdeveIopment
(iguel Coyula
Jos mart, the Eye of the Canary
(Fernando Prez
RevoIution (ayckell Pedrero
The BeIIy of the WhaIe (Orisel Caslro
20 Years (Barbaro Joel Orliz
Ouote of the year
I speak about Cubas reality, because I live
here. I dont know any other land, other lives
than these. If I were living in France, I would
speak about France. If I were living in New
York, I would speak about New York. A member
of Los Aldeanos.
Directory
All Tel/Fax nunbers begin (+53
Cuban Institute of Art and Cinema Industry
(ICAIC), Calle 23, o 1155, Enlre 3 & 10,
Vedado, Havana. Tel: (7 3333650. Fax: 3333231.
inlernacional@icaic.cu. www.cubacine.cu.
EscueIa InternacionaI de Cine y TV, Carrelera
Vereda ueva, Kn 4, San Anlonio de Los Baos.
Tel: (47 333152. Fax: 332366. eiclv@eiclv.org.cu.
www.eiclv.org.
FestivaI InternacionaI deI Nuevo Cine
Latinoamericano, Calle 2, o. 411, Enlre 17 &
19, Vedado, Havana, Cuba CP 10400. feslival@
feslival.icaic.cu, habanafesl@feslival.icaic.cu (vorld
Fegislralion. www.habanaflnfeslival.con.
Barbaro Joel Orlizs 20 Years (20 aos is a
landnark of Cuban aninalion. Based on a
popular song, lhis shorl fealure uses slop
nolion lechnique lo charl lhe rise and fall of
a relalionship. nHuenced by lhe greal Czech
aninalor Jan Svanknajer, Orliz worked for
lhree years lo achieve a work whose lender
nenories energe painfully anidsl a couples
daily rouline.
Orisel Caslros The BeIIy of the WhaIe and
Music Box are lwo good exanples of how
docunenlary flnnakers lrained al lhe ECTV
have an eye for depicling realily wilh subllely.
The Be||, o! !he Vha|e, flned in reverse, sees
geslalion as a heroic process nade of efforls,
fears, uncerlainlies, hopes and expeclalions,
usic Box highlighls lhe uninlenlional
hunour of regislryoffce weddings. n bolh
cases, Orisel Caslro enploys a fragnenled
narralive, fake analeur cinenalography and
olher devices lo presenl his worlds. Anolher
inleresling docunenlary, albeil less anbilious,
was Jessica Fodr|guez and Zoe irandas The
WorId of RaI (| nundo de Fa|, which deals
wilh an eccenlric oplonelrisl who lalks aboul
his lasles, daily life and how he becane a
peeping Ton.
Brbaro Joel Ortizs 20 Years
Brbaro Joel Ortizs 20 Years
JORGE YGLESIAS is a poel and fln crilic,
and Professor of Filn Hislory and Chair of
Hunaniles al lhe nlernalional School of Filn
and Television of San Anlonio de los Baos,
Cuba.