Of all the groups that make audiovisual products independently in Cuba, one of the most recognized is the 5th Avenue Productions. Goya Award for Best Latin American Film, awarded this year to the film Juan de los Muertos (Alejandro Brugués, 2011), put this young team in the spotlight.
Furthermore, Molasses (Carlos Lechuga, 2012), one of the latest films from its catalog, was recognized with the Award for Best Latin American Film in the Festival in Malaga, Spain. Speaking exclusively to OnCuba, producer Claudia Calvino announced that “have confirmed our presence in more than 25 festivals, and still have a long way to go.”
About the materials they are producing today, she reported that 5th Avenue Productions finished filming New Island Hotel, feature documentary directed by Irene Gutierrez and Javier Labrador. “We developed this project for three years. We are now beginning the editing and postproduction. “
According to her, the film has a strong social court, is set in the old Hotel New Island, a facility that housed several families, and it was finally evicted by danger of collapse. The material is starred by Jorge; the only inhabitant was left there. “We hope we have enough time for presentation at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema (FINCL),” Calvino said.
Regarding projects currently being developed by the production company she gave us details of upcoming films of filmmakers Miguel Coyula, Carlos Lechuga and Arturo Infante.
Blue Heart, Coyula’s third feature (Red Cockroaches 2004; Memorias del desarrollo, 2010), takes place in a dystopian future. The film moves on the rope of science fiction, and is about the inability of the individual to escape his reality as well as the aftermath of the revolutions and their violent nature.
“Coyula is a very peculiar filmmaker: he makes almost the entire film alone. In fact, he already has the first minutes of footage. Basically we are taking care of getting financing. For the characteristics of the film, we apply a crowfounding focused on English-speaking market, but explore other aid funds, “ she said.
About Santa and Dolphin, project conceived by Lechuga along the veteran writer Eliseo Altunaga, the producer said: “It’s a love story between a gay writer and a peasant woman. Like Molasses, is a social-themed movie, but a little more classic in terms of history”
This film recently won a cash prize from the Development Fund of Central America and Cuba Broadcasting (CINERGIA) and the Hubert Bals Fund of the Rotterdam Film Festival, to develop the project.
Regarding the debut of Infante (Committee 666, 2010), The extraordinary journey of Celeste Garcia, producer Alejandro Tovar told OnCuba “is a fantastic comedy, an everyday science fiction.”
According to the synopsis of the film, she says that on the news is disclosed that during the past year the Earth has been visited by an alien civilization, from another planet. As if this were not enough, they begin to recruit volunteers from all countries who are willing to travel and be pioneers representing Earth on a visit to the neighboring planet. The protagonist of the story, Celeste decides to sign up to enter the draw.
The extraordinary journey of Celeste Garcia was awarded last July in the Cinergia Lab (Construction and Analysis Workshop of Film Project), so soon it will participate in the audiovisual market Morelia Lab in Mexico.
“It’s an interesting market for projects under development, materials seeking their first contacts with potential investors or industries. Morelia Lab has three awards for non-Mexican films: one for development and two for post-production. We will opt for the first one, because we are just starting the momentum of the film, “Tovar said.
In the words of Calvino, the three film projects 5th Avenue Productions currently undertakes have completed the first versions of their scripts. “Everyone is under development, seeking funding. As we seek resources, the writers work on the stories. “
Finally, we asked about the next feature of Alexander Brugués. Although interviewees chose not spoiling too much, they said that the director is currently writing “an action comedy”, but made it clear that it will not be a zombie film. “We will not do the second part of Juan of the Dead,” Tovar said.
