In November last year, the French channel France O released the documentary ¨La vaca de marmol¨, by the prominent critic and filmmaker Enrique Colina. In Cuba it was only exhibited once during the last edition of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, in Havana. Few days ago a Spanish friend who saw Colina’s documentary asked me for Ubre Blanca. For those who do not know, this was a cow that in the 19 80s became a media phenomenon. In just one day the animal produced 110, 9 liters of milk and 27 674, 2 liters in 365 days, displacing Arleen, the American champion, from the Guinness Book. At that time many people believed that problems of Cuban economy would be solved through that cow; dream that failed several months later. Colina, master of the documentary in Cuba , used Ubre Blanca’s story to metaphorically address about other failed economic plans conducted decades ago on the island. Given the insistence of my friend to know more about this film, I wanted to contact Enrique Colina. We started talking about ¨La Vaca de marmol¨, but this ended up being only a pretext for one of the most lucid intellectuals of...

¨Conducta¨ is the latest film by Cuban filmmaker Ernesto Daranas and will be exhibited starting next month in the most important movie theaters of the country. The movie is a call to reflection which intends to sensitize the viewer through the topic it addresses: the story of a teacher about to retire who is the only guide of an eleven years old boy who lives alone with his addicted mother. The film narrates Carmela and Chala’s drama, the special relation of this teacher with her students, specifically with the latter, a boy who has to face a tough life. Carmela is his mentor and adviser. The film’s plot begins to develop when she got sick and has to abandon classes, when returning she realizes that everything has changed, even the boy’s behaviour. The film, co-produced by RTV Comercial, ICAIC (Spanish acronym of Cuban Film Institute) and the Ministry of Culture, shows a poor and rough context in which the characters have learned to survive according to occasions and adversities. Daranas, whom we remembered by multi-awarded film ¨Los dioses rotos¨ (2008), insists in delving through his work in complex and painful issues, little addressed in current Cuban audiovisual. He explores problems...

Cuba was living the 1920s, when on today’s centric Havana 23rd street in the neighborhood of Vedado, in just 204 days; one of its most representative buildings was erected: the house marked with the number 664, between D and E streets The mansion was the gift by merchant Manuel Campa to his daughter Angela for her marriage. The house that until 1998 was the home of Angela, who died without heirs, has been turned on the initiative of the Office of the Historian of the City into a peculiar institution: the Casa del Vedado. Its uniqueness lies in the structure, which does not respond to a proper museum design, because in this residence there are not defined spaces or cabinets. It opened its doors in July 2007 as part of the tourism project Routes and Walks, with the aim of showing the daily life of a family of upper middle class of the time, as if the house was still inhabited. A few years ago the house was remembered for his constructive deplorable state. It is in 2000 when the Puerto Carenas Construction Company assumes the restoration work aimed at recovering the original structure while maintaining the type, morphology and...

The Cuban fiction cinema transits right now on the right track. I venture to say it particularly when looking a few years back. Our cinema has opened its spectrum on trends and forms. There are many proposals coming from new artists, although those already enshrined surprise us with their current projects. The latest work of Alejandro Gil, who stated that La emboscada, is not at all a war movie despite its title, will be soon premiered. The war theme works as a pretext for dealing with human relationships and generational conflicts, among other contradictions of the characters. Leontina is the title of the movie that Rudy Mora will give us soon. Pretty close to his debut film, it tells the story of a group of children participating in a painting competition who need the blue color, but they can only find it in the Palma Blanca town, a place where laughter disappeared and its inhabitants walk slowly, except in El legionario store. It is a diverse film, no doubt, but very interesting. Another full-length film starred by children will come to us in the first quarter of this year thanks to filmmaker Ernesto Daranas: A work also featuring Alina Rodriguez....

Much has been the talk in the media on the movie Vestido de Novia (Dressed as a bride) since it was just a project of the Cuban filmmaker Marilyn Solaya. While she was shooting it she made the multi-awarded documentary “In the wrong body”. Both works are considered part of the same footage. Just a few days ago it won the First Prize Postproduction Our America First Copy that was delivered by the Alba at the recently concluded 35th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. The award consists of $ 60 000 and services sponsored by Bubble Sound, Taurus Digital, Boogieman Media, Assimilate and Arachne. Supported by the formidable performances of Laura de la Uz, Luis Alberto García, Alina Rodriguez, Jorge Perugorría, Mario Guerra, Isabel Santos the film tells the story of Rosa Elena and Ernesto, immersed in Havana in 1994. She is a nursing assistant and he is the head of a work important for the country's tourism development construction. They fall in love, get married and try to be happy until a secret in her life threatens that harmony and they become victims of violence, prejudice and stereotypes of a society that is still governed by patriarchal...

Renowned Argentine actor and psychiatrist Diego Peretti won the Coral for Best Actor for his performance in La reconstrucción, by Stephen Taratuto. one of two films that he came with to the Festival of Havana. He is one of the best known faces of the Argentine audiovisual in recent years and returns to work with these filmmakers who have previously directed him in complex roles that also has been awarded . Psychiatrist by profession he decided to pursue acting, which alternated with medicine from his student years. He states that “both in psychiatry and in performance I try to alleviate the sufferings of the soul and mind and arguably tried to get to the same place but in different ways.” He returns to his country happy, according to what he declared to OnCuba since he won the Coral for best actor and the other film which he came with to Havana, Wakolda , by Lucia Puenzo , won the special jury prize in its category and for the director the award for best director . For those who remember him for his great performances in comedies, Peretti 's performance surprised both in Wakolda and Reconstruction , two complex dramas in...

The latest Pedro Almodóvar´s film, ¨Amantes pasajeros¨ (I’m So Excited), is among the eleven movies included in this Spanish Cinema Exhibition . It is a film which plot is held in outstanding performances. It all starts when on a flight to Mexico City, a serious problem arises, in which the passengers, when seeing death very close, will gradually reveal their most intimate secrets. These people on board, colorful and different from each other, through confessions, begin to face the greatest danger which is not the risk of the plane, but the one each of them carry within, in tone of outrageous comedy to forget the anguish of the moment. Thus, these colorful characters relate each other in the awaited return to comedy of the Manchegan filmmaker. In his nineteenth film, Almodóvar backs to his usual themes, where death, homosexuality and desire operate as unequivocal edges of his cinema geometry. Two of these "passengers'' landed in Havana for the first time to present the film in our Festival. Hugo Silva and Raúl Arévalo, two of the most famous and talented Spanish actors of their generation, exclusively talked with OnCuba on this film, its characters and the current state of Spanish cinema....

The American renowned composer and record producer Robert Kraft returns for the third time the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema to share his experiences with Cuban professionals and students. He will teach on Monday and Tuesday the workshop in Music in Cinema: Process and Techniques at the Mozart's Lyceum in Old Havana. About his experience in melodic production for movies, the musical advisor for films like Avatar, Titanic and Moulin Rouge said: "In the contemporary audiovisual, film without music is almost impossible, because the sound is able to suggest - even describe - action, romance, humor, sadness, desolation.” He expressed his love for Cuba, and in particular by our sound heritage, for here - in his opinion - the music flows like water, so sharing his knowledge with country artists is not a matter of business, but of feelings. Why do you admire Cuban music? Cuba has great musicians, really admirable and exceptional as my friend Chucho Valdes, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito de Rivera, Celia Cruz, and Mario Bauza, among others, and even many who do not know and I would love to discover. I am very interested in the Cuban sound in its films I'm slowly discovering in...

The sample ¨Para los niños se hace esta fiesta¨ (This party is for children), by renowned photographer Pedro Abascal will open on Monday at the same time that the International Forum of Latin American Child Audiovisual Universe, at the Hispanic American Cultural Center. Twenty snapshots of various formats, stages and techniques of infants surprised by the lens are included in the selection. These children, who already lived in the extensive work of the artist, join today called by the Latin American audiovisual party of which they are also inseparable part. Abascal no longer remembers what his first picture was since, in the eighties, he first pressed the shutter of his camera. This photographer captures stories between lights and shadows in the same way that pursues the human being in its context. He has captured the essence of the cityscape and its inhabitants. He strives to reflect scenes and everyday simple objects becoming them into art. In his work we find much cinematic influence, being essential the use of transparencies, the elliptical look where is evident his great power of synthesis and ability when capturing detail and contrast. His accomplished ​​frames, suitable topics, the sculptural treatment of light, and the apparent...

Among those attending the 35 Festival of Havana is Brazilian filmmaker and actor Lázaro Ramos, who comes to this edition as a jury in the fiction section. He has starred in a dozen films and as many productions and soap operas, becoming one of the most successful and recognized actors of his generation. As a filmmaker he has several documentaries and short films filmed and told OnCuba that he will soon begin work on his first feature film. He surprises by his mastery of our language and for his great sense of humor and playfulness, especially for those who remember him in his role as André Gurguel on the soap recently broadcasted here Foolish Heart, ïn which he played an egotistical designer that sometimes we came to hate for his insensitive side. What are your expectations as Fiction jury in this Festival in Havana? I am very curious to know and appreciate everything shown. Some years ago I won the best actor award and could not attend. This is the chance to kill all this curiosity because all my friends and colleagues are raving about this festival in which there is a strong motivation in the public towards films. This...