11am screening at the Renoir Cinema, London map
Memories of Underdevelopment
Tomas Gutierrez Alea, Cuba 1986
English Subtitles, 104mins
Based on the novel of the same name by Edmundo Desnoes, the film is based on the diary of a middle class intellectual caught in the midst of the rapidly changing social reality of revolutionary Cuba. Sergio is a landlord and self-styed writer who decides to remain behind when his wife, family and friends, leave for Miami. But Sergio is unable to commit himself to the revolution either, and so remains a sceptical observer. His perceptions of Cuban society, both before and after the revolution, are interwoven with documentary footage of historical events, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.
Shattered Space
Enrique Colina, ICAIC and Stephen Hart, UCL, Cuba 2009
English Subtitles, 16mins
These documentaries, made at the 2009 International Film and TV School in Havana, portray aspects of contemporary Havana, including the everyday life of the man who carried Fidel Castro’s rucksack in the Sierra Maestra 50 years ago, the art produced by the Taller de Gráfica, the ambition of a young girl to make it in Cuba’s competitive music industry, and the determination of young boxers at a local boxing club to make their dreams come true.
The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Stephen Hart, Professor of Hispanic Studies, University College London.
