The sun sets in Havana. Five friends gather to celebrate the return of Amadeo after 16 years.
That’s the synopsis of the film Return to Ithaca of French director Laurent Cantet, filmed in Cuba in just seventeen days that many of us were left wishing to see in the recently concluded International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. The film was withdrawn from the Festival program, but had been included in the Film Environments section of the official catalog of the event.
This film deals about universal themes like friendship, love, loyalty, hatred, betrayal, fear and disappointment. On locations in Central Havana with the Malecon as backdrop and the ruined city in foreshortened, Amadeo´s story is told.
“It deals specifically on the reunion with the Island by a Cuban who emigrated to Spain and decides to return to his country many years later. I think many will enjoy this film because it will be identifying my contemporaries. It tackles the problems of those who live in that time, which marked us the most. It is the story of a true chronicle of survival of a broken generation”, declared Leonardo Padura, its screenwriter, to OnCuba.
The action in Return to Ithaca takes place in just hours from dusk until dawn the next day, and its cast includes Isabel Santos, Jorge Perugorría, Fernando Hechevarría, Nestor Jimenez and Pedro Julio Diaz Ferran. The film won the Special Prize informative section 71 Venice Film Festival in September, and the Embrace Award for best film at the XXIII Latin American Film Festival of Biarritz in October. Its commercial debut was in France earlier this month of December.
The French filmmaker obtained the proper permits and logistical support to shoot the film from the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), who had previously analyzed the script by Leonardo Padura.
The G-20, a group of filmmakers who have been demanding for a few months for a Film Law, which includes Fernando Perez, Enrique Alvarez, Ernesto Daranas, Rebeca Chavez and Manuel Perez, among others, described as a cultural and political nonsense the Return to Ithaca´s censorship.
“We believe that such a decision highlights the weaknesses of methods of the culture system to act through dialogue with both the filmmakers and with the country’s leadership. Return to Ithaca was shot in Cuba as a service of ICAIC, making it even more severe censorship exercised against them and puts the responsibility and professionalism of the leaders of the Institute and the Ministry of Culture in question, “say the filmmakers in a statement reproduced online media and circulated in blogs and social networking sites.
Prominent film critic, Juan Antonio García Borrero said in his blog La pupila insomne:
“I personally believe that we have taken too long to report it. But it is never too late to debate these issues, especially if we really want to help build a more transparent, inclusive public sphere, and, to say clearer, democratic. The question that arises in these cases is: who benefits from this type of action, repressive and silencing, in any account? In this specific case, is not the Festival and, therefore, not those who still think it is possible to promote a truly critical culture from the institutions. ”
OnCuba has accompanied the film’s production largely on its journey; now talks to two of its protagonists, immersed in the defense of the film as the genuine work that is above reasons beyond the artistic act that led to his censure:
Isabel Santos gives life to Tania, the female lead. The actress is still looking for an answer; nobody has yet communicated her reasons why the public could not appreciate her performance.
“They didn’t show the film because it has not been seen. That is basically it, they have criticized an artistic product that they have not appreciated and if they did, they did not decode it in the right way. It is unfortunate that its natural audience, the Cuban, has not been able to appreciate it. The film is very Cuban though its director is French. This protest by filmmakers to which Cantet responded in a very moving and correct way was done after the Festival to not undermine the film event for all of us because this is very important. I do not think the decision was taken by Ivan Giroud, I defend it because I know him and I know that he protected the film. I hope you can see Return to Ithaca soon; the film is on the broken generation as Padura says, our generation divided between those who left and those who stayed and were resigned to live with it broken. The film raises everything which is true. Each country has their truths, their non-healing wounds, such as Argentina and Chile suffered their military dictatorships, and our land also bleeds for his existential conflicts and sorrows. The film displays them, “says Isabel Santos.
Fernando Echevarría gives life to Rafa, a painter fin his fifties, great friend of his friends, as the same actor expressed to OnCuba. He explains the history of censorship of the film has two parts: “The first refers to the experience of performing this work with a director like Cantet, who faced the issue with a high level of dedication, commitment, seriousness, prudence , intelligence and sensitivity, which is commendable. We also have the services of ICAIC. As I said before it’s all a prize for the course of the participating actors have been part of this film and directed by the great filmmaker. Secondly, in this story a knot, a knot to be undone because the removal of the film at the last minute after having deluded us with its projection in Cuba is due to some twisted along the way. They told us there was because there was no time to watch it previously by the selection committee, which is not true because in the Official Program films were not seen but were included. I think this decision is due to a wrong comment, to a misinterpretation of someone who did not properly digest the contents. I hope everything is resolved. I have understood that there is a good chance that you can see in Cuban movie theaters. The director and producers are in the best position; hopefully this error to obviate such a Cuban film that has been so successful at festivals which has not been withdrawn is amended “.
Many hope that the movie is displayed in the country soon and be able to appreciate as the occasion warrants. The issues addressed are exciting and play close to Cubans and also any human being beyond the borders because everyone, absolutely everyone, we have a Ithaca to come back, if only to stare inside, despite the Cyclops and the censors.
Authors
Ana Elsa García,
anaelsa
