{"id":332434,"date":"2025-12-22T03:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T08:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=332434"},"modified":"2025-12-26T15:29:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T20:29:16","slug":"jorge-perugorria-those-of-us-who-make-films-and-organize-festivals-cannot-give-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/culture\/jorge-perugorria-those-of-us-who-make-films-and-organize-festivals-cannot-give-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Jorge Perugorr\u00eda: \u201cThose of us who make films and organize festivals cannot give up\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there was a crowd favorite at the 46th edition of the New Latin American Film Festival, it was\u00a0<\/span>Neur\u00f3tica\u00a0an\u00f3nima<\/span><\/i>, the film by\u00a0<\/span>Jorge Perugorr\u00eda<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0starring\u00a0<\/span>Mirta Ibarra<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0and Roberto Perdomo. During the three screenings the film had at the festival, attendees filled the theaters and showed enthusiastic approval. They applauded lines of dialogue, images, and even the brief appearance of Mario Limonta in a tiny role.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, the film tells the story of Iluminada, a woman who wanted to be\u00a0an actress\u00a0and ended up as an usher at the Cuba movie theater, which, due to its dilapidated condition, has been slated for demolition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Iluminada cannot imagine her life without\u00a0movies. The hundreds she has seen have alleviated the darkness of her fundamentally frustrated existence. And she is determined not to allow the Cuba theater to be closed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mirta
Mirta Ibarra in the role of Iluminada, the protagonist of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d Still from \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amidst all this, she develops a neurotic condition that requires specialized attention. She is treated at an institution where, among other things, they prepare neurotic patients to say goodbye. In a country with such a high rate of emigration as ours, this detail is by no means insignificant.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After the Sunday afternoon screening,\u00a0Perugorr\u00eda\u00a0granted\u00a0<\/span>OnCuba<\/span><\/b>\u00a0this exclusive interview. He opened the door of his house to us, where we found a quiet corner perfect for a conversation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Acapulco\u00a0movie
Acapulco movie theater. The audience waits to see the third screening of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima\u201d at the 46th International New Latin American Film Festival. Photo: Jorge Luis Coll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the reader will recall,\u00a0Pichi, as his friends call him, has starred in important Cuban films such as\u00a0<\/span>Strawberry and Chocolate<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Guantanamera<\/span><\/i>. Currently, he is the Cuban actor\u00a0residing\u00a0in the country with the greatest international recognition and an impressive list of achievements. Today we will focus solely on his role as\u00a0a director.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is the transcript of our conversation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of\u00a0your work as a director has the country\u2019s current situation as its central theme. Has this happened spontaneously, or are period films more expensive, or\u00a0perhaps there\u00a0is a personal connection you have to the here and now as a man and an artist?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That was\u00a0determined\u00a0by the same process that led me to get behind the camera, which has been quite organic. I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0study to be a director; I never saw myself as a director. It was the circumstances themselves that led me to start making documentaries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It all started with\u00a0<\/span>Habana\u00a0Abierta<\/span><\/i>. I already knew the group from Spain.\u00a0They were coming\u00a0to Cuba, and I thought it would be good to leave a record, to film their reunion with their natural audience. Since I had no experience as a director, I invited Arturo Sotto to\u00a0participate. We made the documentary and in 2003 we won the Coral Award for Best Documentary at the\u00a0International New Latin American Film Festival.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From then on, I continued making documentaries, motivated by friends. I liked the ideas, and I filmed again with the same team: Ernesto Granado on photography, Panchito as producer, among others who have\u00a0accompanied\u00a0me in the transition to fiction.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amor\u00a0cr\u00f3nico<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2012), with Cucu Diamantes, is the first feature film I directed alone. It is the first film in the trilogy that is completed by\u00a0<\/span>Se\u00a0vende<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2012) and\u00a0<\/span>Neur\u00f3tica\u00a0an\u00f3nima<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2025). These are films where the concept of film within film is explored, with many influences from Tom\u00e1s Guti\u00e9rrez Alea and Juan Carlos\u00a0Tab\u00edo.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jorge\u00a0Perugorr\u00eda,
Jorge Perugorr\u00eda, director of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima,\u201d in an interview with OnCuba. Photo: Jorge Luis Coll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andr\u00e9s Lev\u00edn, with Cucu, wanted to do a tour throughout the island after the success of the concert in the Plaza. They proposed that I document the trip. My\u00a0counter-proposal\u00a0was to make a film that blended documentary and fiction. I had traveled extensively throughout the country while working\u00a0in various Cuban films. I used that experience to create not only a documentary about the singer\u2019s tour, but also to incorporate what could be understood as a journey through Cuban cinema, to which I am grateful, and a commitment to our reality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With\u00a0<\/span>Se\u00a0vende<\/span><\/i>\u00a0it was the same. They proposed that I make a short film, which I ended up turning into a feature film, with references to the films of\u00a0Tit\u00f3n\u00a0and\u00a0Tab\u00edo,\u00a0<\/span>Death of a Bureaucrat<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Se\u00a0permuta<\/span><\/i>. And\u00a0<\/span>Neur\u00f3tica<\/span><\/i>…, which has references to world cinema.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mirta Ibarra told me that she had written a play, and that from it she had developed a first screenplay for\u00a0film. There was the possibility of making it with ICAIC, and so I accepted her invitation to direct it. I reworked the script and introduced this game of facing mirrors, which is film within film, with a mixture of fiction and documentary, with our reality as the backdrop.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My predilection for addressing themes of contemporary Cuba comes from the directors I have worked with as an actor:\u00a0Tab\u00edo,\u00a0Tit\u00f3n, Humberto\u00a0Sol\u00e1s. Dealing with Cuban reality is a commitment for me. The films I have enjoyed making the most are those that have received the most recognition and gratitude from the Cuban\u00a0audiences. Our audience is always waiting for these\u00a0movies, so that\u00a0very rewarding\u00a0complicity is\u00a0established\u00a0with the Cuban viewer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We increasingly need to make socially conscious films that question reality. This applies to Cuba, but also to\u00a0all of\u00a0Latin America.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the time I worked at ICAIC, we compiled a dossier on each Cuban film that premiered. It was a study to provide directors,\u00a0producers\u00a0and distributors with sufficient information about what had happened in the weeks following the premiere. How the\u00a0audience\u00a0had received it, what the critics had said, which age\u00a0group the film\u00a0in\u00a0question\u00a0had satisfied the most. When asked why they liked Cuban cinema, the respondents answered that it was because they saw themselves reflected on the screen, because they recognized themselves in the films.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>How much does cinema contribute to the construction of identity?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0a fundamental contribution. I was born and raised\u00a0within\u00a0this film festival. My vision of the countries of our cultural universe was shaped by the films I saw. I traveled through those countries through film, I learned about their idiosyncrasies, their different landscapes…. In fact, this has ended up shaping my professional commitment to Latin America.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both documentary and fiction films in Cuba have had\u00a0a very strong\u00a0commitment to reality. Fiction directors were\u00a0basically trained\u00a0within the documentary genre, directly reflecting the pulse of the country. Then, those characters and events were told from another perspective, with other artistic resources, but without losing the connection to national events.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And all of this led the viewer to forge a relationship of complicity with their cinema. It was common to hear the phrase\u00a0\u201cI love Cuban cinema,\u201d\u00a0which\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0refer to a particular work, but to a characteristic way of filmmaking and a commitment to social criticism. The characters in Cuban films were ordinary people, like those sitting in the audience, with a psychology, a use of language, gestures and humor that were common. Complete identification was achieved.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jorge\u00a0Perugorr\u00eda,
Jorge Perugorr\u00eda, director of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima,\u201d in an interview with OnCuba. Photo: Jorge Luis Coll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That, like other things, is now at\u00a0risk, because\u00a0we are making\u00a0less\u00a0and less films. There is no longer that production\u00a0\u2014\u00a0up to eight films a year\u00a0\u2014\u00a0that allowed for a wide range of national cinema: comedies, dramas, auteur films, more esoteric films, everything that contributed to the exploration of reality in its particularities and to the creation of its artistic reflection.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rescuing the film industry in Cuba is a challenge.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not about restoring it to what it was. We are\u00a0in\u00a0a different time; we\u00a0have to\u00a0reinvent ourselves.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a struggle to rescue and safeguard our identity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Several generations of Cubans received their audiovisual education at the 46 editions of the\u00a0Festival. Islanders after all, behind an iron curtain, we went to the movies to see what others were like and how they lived, with the certainty that what was shown during those\u00a0feverish\u00a0days, we would not have another opportunity to see.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0how it was. I\u00a0used to go\u00a0to the\u00a0Festival\u00a0as if looking through a window. We would see four or five films a day. Of course, there were no streaming services or film archives, which gave the screenings a unique and unrepeatable quality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Poster
Poster for the world premiere of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d Illustration: Miguel Camacho Cobas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New technologies\u00a0have democratized access to cinema. But they have also taken away some of its magic. People used to go to movie theaters as if they were going to a temple: to be in communion, to vibrate with the collective emotion.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cinema as a genre is not at risk. What has changed is the way we appreciate it. The big platforms are buying some production companies, which means that films will now spend less time in theaters because they will be uploaded online almost\u00a0immediately.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the scene where Iluminada is in the movie theater listening to\u00a0lines\u00a0from Cuban films, the ringing of a bell can be heard. As you say, the\u00a0movie theater\u00a0is a temple. In the testimonies I use, there are those who say they prefer to watch movies at home because they\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to\u00a0go out, which is almost impossible given the difficulty of transportation. This is not an exclusively Cuban phenomenon. It happens everywhere.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The vast majority of\u00a0films we make in Latin America have a festival run. Few are released commercially in the rest of the world, including our own countries. Some, like\u00a0<\/span>Strawberry and Chocolate<\/span><\/i>, which is a benchmark, escape this situation. Festivals have become a refuge for cinema. You go to festivals in Europe, for example, and you are amazed that there are still queues to get into the theaters.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, what motivates viewers is precisely the fact that they know there will be no other way to see those films on a big screen, since they will not be shown commercially.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Center
Center for Research and Control of Neurosis. Still from \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0New Latin American Film Festival\u00a0was a sui generis event. A tremendous public success. It took place not only in the\u00a0movie theaters\u00a0on 23rd Street, but in many other neighborhood theaters, and even spread to the rest of the country.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is\u00a0a very difficult\u00a0time\u00a0to hold\u00a0a festival. Some think it\u00a0constitutes\u00a0an unnecessary expense in a dilapidated economy. I, who have organized and\u00a0continue\u00a0to organize festivals, tell you that a tremendous effort\u00a0is required to\u00a0carry out each edition. Everything gets more expensive every\u00a0year,\u00a0all the management mechanisms become more complicated with each edition. But people appreciate having festivals.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0an incentive for their lives. And those of us who make films and festivals cannot give up. If the continuity is interrupted, there is a risk that the event will never be held again.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a fire\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0dying out, but it needs to be constantly stoked. If we give up on cultural events, then it would be a total blackout, and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not just referring to electricity.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jorge\u00a0Perugorr\u00eda,
Jorge Perugorr\u00eda, director of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima,\u201d chats with the audience outside the Acapulco movie theater. Photo: Jorge Luis Coll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m\u00a0going to give you the right\u00a0of\u00a0reply.\u00a0You\u2019ve\u00a0surely been aware of the impact that\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Neur\u00f3tica<\/span><\/i><\/b>… has had in terms of criticism. The most specific points are: the film\u2019s ability to connect with the audience, the profusion of cinematic references and structural problems that limit the understanding\u00a0of\u00a0viewers, who sometimes cannot discern when they are facing the real present of the work, when it is a documentary sequence, and when what they see is happening exclusively in Iluminada\u2019s imagination or memory. What do you think of this?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We play extensively with references. Some are more\u00a0\u201clegible\u201d\u00a0than others, more obvious. They are part of the neurosis\u00a0of the character, who has spent a large segment of her life as an usher in a movie theater, and she has seen so much. She cannot live without\u00a0the movie\u00a0theater, because\u00a0it gives her the possibility of escaping her immediate reality, marked by a failed marriage. To make matters worse, there is the threat of the demolition of the Cuba\u00a0movie theater\u00a0or, at the very least, that it will be propped up and permanently closed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mirta
Mirta Ibarra as Iluminada, the protagonist of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d Still from \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are many ways for Iluminada to connect with films. Sometimes, in front of the television screen, but other times this happens only in her head. When she decides to leave her house, her husband shouts at her to come back, but instead of her name, she hears\u00a0\u201cStella, Stella!\u201d\u00a0which\u00a0is a very well-known moment from the film\u00a0<\/span>A Streetcar Named Desire<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1951), by Elia Kazan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And what if the viewer\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0catch the reference?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing happens.\u00a0Ultimately, it\u2019s\u00a0an element of estrangement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the films you mention, excluding those in which you\u00a0participated\u00a0and which\u00a0constituted\u00a0a turning point in your life and work, if indeed the two can be separated, which ones were the most meaningful to you?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll\u00a0start with Fellini\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Amarcord<\/span><\/i>. Italian Neorealism is precisely a source of inspiration for new Cuban cinema. In the construction of the character played by Mirtha, I looked for iconic moments from film, but I twisted them around to empower her as a woman. In Fellini\u2019s film,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a moment when a character\u00a0shouts\u00a0\u201cI want a woman!\u201d\u00a0but Mirtha remembers herself as a young woman, climbing a tree, shouting\u00a0\u201cI want a man!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mirta
Mirta Ibarra as Iluminada, the protagonist of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima\u201d. Still from \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the film\u00a0<\/span>El\u00a0lado\u00a0oscuro\u00a0del\u00a0coraz\u00f3n<\/span><\/i>\u202f(1992), by Eliseo\u00a0Subiela, the character who jumps into the pit is a woman, but here we throw Iluminada\u2019s alcoholic husband, the character played by Roberto Perdomo, into it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Roberto
Roberto Perdomo, Mirta Ibarra\u2019s counterpart. Still from \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What the critics are saying is that you went overboard with\u00a0the references.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a lot of fun. I also make films to enjoy myself. Let me give you an example: the scene that mimics the shower scene in\u00a0<\/span>Psycho<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1960), by Alfred Hitchcock. The shower in\u00a0<\/span>Psycho<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is torrential, we hear the water cascading, but in Old Havana\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a decades-long drought. In\u00a0<\/span>Neur\u00f3tica<\/span><\/i>\u2026\u00a0we hear the drops falling. But\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not just a joke; that scene serves us to talk about machismo, about gender-based\u00a0violence. Iluminada thinks her husband is going to murder her, but since\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0a woman who lives in and through\u00a0movies, she imagines the scene like the one in\u00a0<\/span>Psycho<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We know that the viewer\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0always understand and appreciate the game. But we hope\u00a0it\u00a0works for them as part of the narrative, without necessarily knowing where it comes from.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mirta
Mirta Ibarra and Osvaldo Doimeadi\u00f3s. Still from \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another thing the critics object to, as I said, is that the viewer might confuse the different temporal planes. When in the presence of the here and now of\u00a0the story, when\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0\u00a0seeing\u00a0hallucinations or memories of the character, when Iluminada\u00a0is\u00a0watching filmed material, when the fiction\u00a0break\u00a0away\u00a0to give way to the documentary….<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, what\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0listing are forms of expression. The documentary is distinguished by the difference in the treatment of sound and image, in the camera\u2019s\u00a0movement, which is imperfect.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An allusion to Julio Garc\u00eda Espinosa\u2019s theory of imperfect cinema?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exactly. They are workers who suddenly decide to make a documentary, with no training other than their experiences as viewers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The film tells its own story.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a small film, made with very few resources, in\u00a0a short time. But that\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0justify anything. We wanted to tap into the viewer\u2019s emotional memory. And for them to recover the commitment on our part that they would see themselves reflected on the screen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does Benicio del Toro\u2019s cameo mean?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0a film made by actors. Mirtha started with the play. I\u00a0participated\u00a0in the script and directed it.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a strategy to try to save\u00a0movies, not just the Cuba theater. Some actors have characters, but others\u00a0don\u2019t, and their mere appearance contributes to our goals. Benicio\u2019s appearance can be seen as a break, something that distances you, that brings you back to the awareness that you are watching a film.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brechtian alienation?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, that.\u00a0Filtered through\u00a0Tab\u00edo.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dolly Back.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you recognize any point of contact between\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Neur\u00f3tica<\/span><\/i><\/b>… and\u00a0<\/span><\/b>The Purple Rose of Cairo<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0(1985), by Woody Allen?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I avoided that. It was the first thing we watched when we were doing the pre-production work, to have it as a reference, but, at the same time, to distance ourselves as much as possible from the way that film deals with the game of film within film.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can it be said that Cuban cinema today is extraterritorial? Is Cuban cinema exclusively that which is made in Cuba, or that which addresses a national theme, or also that which is made by Cubans wherever they are?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every film that we Cubans make is Cuban. Cuban cinema is being made outside of Cuba. There are\u00a0more and more\u00a0Cuban directors, actors and technicians living outside the island. These are people who, of course, want to continue making films.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cuban cinema needs to\u00a0open up\u00a0and embrace this production as its own.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it Cuban cinema that needs to\u00a0open up, or the officials who shape the country\u2019s cultural policy?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes,\u00a0of course.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the cultural policy that needs to broaden its perspective. Look at what happened with the centenary of Celia Cruz! It was outrageous! Can anyone in their right mind deny that an important aspect of our national identity is expressed through popular music, and that for decades Celia was the ambassador of Cuban culture throughout the world?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you think that capital from Cuban emigrants and capital from Cubans\u00a0residing\u00a0on the island could ever be invested in our cinema?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Filmmakers living abroad will continue to fight,\u00a0more and more, to raise funds for productions that allow them to continue their work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ideally, the conditions would be created so that these investments are secure, and that beyond nostalgia or a feeling of belonging to a culture, they can also see participation in our cinema as a business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The films made in Cuba are\u00a0generally subsidized.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0difficult to recoup the investment within the country. You\u00a0have to\u00a0think about selling the film abroad.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A cultural phenomenon is occurring. The big orchestras, the singer-songwriters, Van\u00a0Van, Kelvis, Carlos Varela, have toured Europe to sold-out venues. That could also happen with films. There is a Cuban audience, a Cuban market. If 300,000 Cubans see the film and pay for a ticket, the investment is recouped.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cuban art has a life outside of Cuba.\u00a0Also\u00a0for Cubans.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Roberto
Roberto Perdomo and Mirta Ibarra. Still from\u00a0\u201cNeur\u00f3tica\u00a0an\u00f3nima.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If a Cuban film in which resources from nationals living in other countries have been invested turns out well, it can be sold to Netflix. The percentage of the profits that corresponds to ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry) is given to them, and the rest goes to the investors. There\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0be any difficulty with that.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, is making films complicated?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Filmmaking\u00a0\u2014\u00a0directing it, acting in it\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in our context, is complicated. In our environment, even more so. As the saying goes,\u00a0\u201cyou suffer but you enjoy it.\u201d\u00a0We love cinema, and when\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0working, we unleash\u00a0a beautiful\u00a0energy, an ecstasy, something that must be\u00a0very similar\u00a0to happiness. We do it against all obstacles, against all difficulties; we work twelve, fourteen hours, whatever it takes to move the project forward.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0the attitude of the entire team that works with me. We are colleagues, but more than that: friends, accomplices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When we finish, we already want to start again.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jorge\u00a0Perugorr\u00eda,
Jorge Perugorr\u00eda, director of \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima,\u201d in an interview with OnCuba News. Photo: Jorge Luis Coll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Withdrawal symptoms?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also\u00a0postpartum depression.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The actor and director opened the door of his home to us, where we found a quiet corner perfect for a conversation about his recently released feature film \u201cNeur\u00f3tica an\u00f3nima.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3770,"featured_media":332437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13921,33],"tags":[14978,34117],"ppma_author":[34037],"class_list":["post-332434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cinema","category-culture","tag-cuban-cinema","tag-jorge-perugorria"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJorge Perugorr\u00eda: \u201cThose of us who make films and organize festivals cannot give up\u201d | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If there was a crowd favorite at the 46th edition of the New Latin American Film Festival, it was\u00a0Neur\u00f3tica\u00a0an\u00f3nima, the 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