El Tumbao Cubano - El Blog de Cuba en el Exilio

Special Screening and Benefit Party

Join us for a tropical afternoon to celebrate the theatrical premiere of Vicente Ferraz's fascinating documentary and Cinema Tropical's 4th Anniversary.

Sunday, September 18, 2005. = 1pm: Screening

I Am Cuba, the Siberian Mammoth
(Vicente Ferraz, Brazil, 2004, 90 min. In Spanish, Portuguese and Russian with English subtitles) Screening introduced by the director and producer
Film Forum
209 West Houston
3pm – 6pm: Late brunch / party
After the film, enjoy a pan-Latin American extravaganza with premium Brazilian mojitos or a cold Corona, and a traditional Mexican brunch, all to the sounds of our favorite DJ.
Besito 357 West Broadway (between Broome and Grand Sts.)

Donation $50 To purchase tickets send a check to Cinema Tropical, 611 Broadway Suite 836, New York, NY 10012, or buy your tickets online at www.cinematropical.com/benefitparty.html
All proceeds go to Cinema Tropical, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the distribution, programming and promotion of Latin American cinema in the U.S. Donations are tax-deductible.

6th Havana Film Festival in New York

HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK -

April 15 to 21, 2005

The 6th Havana Film Festival in New York will showcase award-winning films and highlights from Havana’s Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, as well as new independent films from and about Latin America. 54 films that have received critical acclaim internationally including 20 NY premieres and a world premiere, recent and classic features, documentaries, shorts and animated films from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and the U.S. will be shown at Quad Cinema and King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at NYU (Manhattan) and the Museum of the Moving Image (Queens). This year, HFFNY pays homage to two renowned Latin American directors, Pastor Vega (Cuba) and Walter Salles (Brazil). Panel discussions with directors, producers, and invited guests will take place at King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at NYU on April 17 and 18.

The Festival opens at the Quad Cinema (34 W. 13th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues) on April 15th with 3 films from the Tribute to Pastor Vega beginning at 1 PM and the Opening Ceremony and screening at 7 pm with the NY premiere of Love by Mistake (Perfecto amor equivocado) by Cuban filmmaker Gerado Chijona (Adorables mentiras). Set in Havana, this romantic comedy tells the sweetly ironic story of a middle-aged writer, at the height of his career. A mid-life crisis throws him into professional and personal turmoil further complicated by the women surrounding him. Love by Mistake was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the World Cinema program and won the Audience Award at the 2004 Comedy Film Festival, Peñíscola, Spain...

Nineteen Nations to Participate on Documentary Festival in Cuba

More than 80 works form 19 countries will compete at the 6th Documentary Festival Santiago Alvarez In Memoriam, the Organizing Committee confirmed for Prensa Latina Sunday.+ Filmmakers from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Algeria, Germany, Italy, India, Canada, Morocco and Puerto Rico will take part in this, the first international festival, at this eastern Cuban city from March 5 through 8.

Cinematographers from South Korea, Chile, the United States, Uruguay, France and Spain sent works to the competition, while six projects of screenplays to film from five nations were inscribed to compete.

Along with the work by foreigner artists, 22 works by Cuban documentary makers aspired to one of the 14 official awards and 19 side awards granted in the fest to remember one of the most important Latin American filmmakers.

The lectures will deal with aspects such as impossible neutrality and the documentary facing the great issues of our times; a look into the future from Santiago Alvarez´s works and challenges of the genre in contemporary world.

Seven parallel exhibitions will be screened during the festival, including a retrospective on Cuban filmmaker Fernando Perez´s work, a special on ICAIC News on its 45th anniversary, and other on Italian and Venezuelan documentaries.

Musica Cubana

Musica Cubana documentary continues the story of Buena Vista Social Club, produced by Wim Wenders and directed by his pupil German Kral.

The story begins when 87-year-old musician, Pio Leyva, a member of the Buena Vista Social Club, meets a taxi driver named Barbaro Martin. Admiring Leyva's music, Martin persuades Leyva to form a band by finding new music talents in Cuba, so that the music of Buena Vista Social Club can be preserved and passed down to the next generation.

Together the two drive Leyva's 1948 Chevrolet around Havana looking for outstanding musicians. Later, under Leyva's training the band members sharpen their skills to prepare for an international concert.

Recent Films From Latin America: LATINBEAT 2004

SO FAR AWAY / AUNQUE ESTÉS LEJOS
NY PREMIERE Juan Carlos TabÍo, Cuba/Spain, 2003; 100m
Mirtha Ibarra (Strawberry and Chocolate, Guantanamera) plays Cuban producer Mercedes. A highly entertaining film-within-a-film with well-placed elements of Cuban humor, SO FAR AWAY explores the relations between Cubans and Spaniards while dealing with various issues - emigration, problems of identity and the dangers of oversimplifying reality. Sat Sept 18: 1; Mon Sept 20: 1; Tue Sept 21: 4

Contemporary Cuban Cinema on CUNY-TV

CITY CINEMATHEQUE CONTEMPORARY CUBAN CINEMA: THE REVOLUTION AND BEYOND Sept. - Oct. 2004
The best in world cinema is showcased in this regular series. Each film is followed by lively discussion with scholars, film professionals and critics.

Hosted by Professor Jerry Carlson and co-produced with the Department of Media and communication Arts of The City College, CUNY....

"En Fin, El Mar"

Dirigida por Jorge Dyszel Pelicula producida en Cuba, Argentina y EEUU
Tony, hijo de madre cubana, es un corredor de bolsa de Wall Street. Durante unas cortas vacaciones en Miami encuentra los restos de una balsa. El nombre de los balseros, Mariana y Pablo Durán, estaba pintado en la embarcación y coincide con el apellido de su madre. Así decide conocer Cuba y, estando en La Habana, logra dar con los Durán. Para su sorpresa, conoce a Mariana, quien había sido rescatada. Una vez que sus destinos se cruzan, Tony y Mariana se entregan a sus sentimientos...
WEB SITE