{"id":212455,"date":"2020-01-17T14:43:03","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T19:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=212455"},"modified":"2020-01-17T14:43:03","modified_gmt":"2020-01-17T19:43:03","slug":"cuban-cinema-in-sundance-bembe-in-virtual-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/culture\/cinema\/cuban-cinema-in-sundance-bembe-in-virtual-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuban cinema in Sundance: \u201cBemb\u00e9\u201d in virtual reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

NewMen Studio is the name of the Cuban <\/span>audiovisual studio<\/span><\/a> that will represent the island in the next edition of the Sundance Festival, which will be held in the United States from January 23 until February 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

Led by young filmmakers Patricia D\u00edaz and Marcos Louit, this project <\/span>will present on the 24th<\/span><\/a> Bemb\u00e9<\/span><\/i>, its most recent cinematographic work, a short filmed with the virtual reality (VR) technique that is included in the New Frontiers section of the prestigious event, founded by filmmaker Robert Redford.<\/span><\/p>\n

This material seeks to approach the viewer to a unique experience that is part of Cuban culture: the possibility of closely appreciating one of the ancestral festivals within the Yoruba religion. An experience between two worlds: the real and the spiritual one, which the cinematographic material tries to capture.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Patricia D\u00edaz and Marcos Louit, founders of NewMen Studio. Photo: Fernando Medina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Journey to the root<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything came up in a pre-production trip that we made to the eastern region of the country. We went to get to know the stories and meet people from the municipality of Felicidad de Yateras, in Guant\u00e1namo, where we planned to search for experiences, as we did in the town of Rancher\u00eda, where there are traces of the presence of indigenous people in Cuba,\u201d says Patricia D\u00edaz, one of the directors of the short.<\/span><\/p>\n

The young visual artist adds that, although they had a predesigned idea of \u200b\u200bwhat they wanted, \u201cdue to the ups and downs of the profession and the process prior to filming, other things not foreseen happened and Ernesto Collinet appeared, protagonist of the story, as well as his family who, in addition to living in front of the stone zoo, have their house located on a hill, with a wonderful view, an opportunity we took advantage of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>bemb\u00e9<\/span><\/a> is a party where the Orishas of the Yoruba pantheon are praised through songs and dances accompanied by music, so that the Orishas feel identified with the performed rhythms and prayers, and can join the party through the trance of one of the priests present.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ritual of the bemb\u00e9 in eastern Cuba, particularly in the area of \u200b\u200bFelicidad de Yateras where we were, has the characteristic of correctly maintaining the religious syncretism in the country in general, but there is also a lot of <\/span>animism<\/span><\/a>, a greater approach with nature and very pure ritualistic elements, rooted in the most traditional ways in which these rituals are performed, elements that were quite interesting to us,\u201d says D\u00edaz, a graduate of History of Art at the University of Havana.<\/span><\/p>\n