The director of the film, the Cuban Juan Pin Vilar, is in Buenos Aires, who will present it tonight (it premieres next month). The documentary was censored by the island government.
Bafici programs films for all tastes and interests, even for those who like good political cinema. In that sense, this year six titles stand out: “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”by Belgian Johan Grimonprez, recent Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival (Louis Armstrong, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach and other jazz greats confronting the CIA for the coup against Patrice Lumumba, with archival material and testimonies from spies and mercenaries ), and “You tried Goldman”by Cedric Kahn (balanced courtroom drama about a leftist accused of assault and murder, which he denies, a real event that occurred in 1969),
The Canadian will also be seen “Intercepted”by Oksana Karpovich (records of telephone conversations of Russian soldiers, confronted with images of the disaster in Ukraine), “Lost Country”by Serbian Vladimir Perisic (crisis of a boy confronted with his mother, a follower of Milosevic’s criminal regime, back in 1996, original title “Strakony Kraj”, the lost homeland), and the national “I filmed Osvaldo Bayer”, by Fabio Zurita (following the historian and polemicist over several decades). But a music documentary can also be included in the list, in this case a little unintentionally: “Fito’s Havana”.
“Fito’s Havana”which will be shown at the Festival only tonight but will be released commercially next month, tells the story of Fito Páez’s visits to Cuba, the surprise he caused in his presentation, the affection of the public and local musicians, and the reluctance initial of the authorities (“Where is the Varadero Festival going?”, a Party newspaper headlined in alarm, upon seeing a skinny, hairy, irreverent, shirtless man jumping across the stage). Apparently, “a cool movie.” Except that Fito Paez He looks around and speaks to the camera without mincing words.
Consequently, The authorities did not allow its premiere at the Havana Festival last Decemberas planned, and instead they set up a round table on television to emphasize that the Argentine artist was “misinformed and very wrong”. The censorship caused anger on the island, and there was immediately an open letter signed by some 500 writers and filmmakers, demanding a Film Law, which does not exist there, and for other Cuban films banned or cut over the years. (there is talk of about 600). Meanwhile, it has begun to be exhibited outside Cuba.
“That letter in our defense was even signed by Fernando Pérez, our oldest, untouchable filmmaker, the one of the elegiac ‘Suite Habana’, and Ivan Giroud, who was director of the Havana Festival, a man of integrity”highlights Juan Pin Vilardirector of the film, and also director of series, shorts, shows, and a documentary about the musician’s experience Pablo Milanés in a labor camp in 1967. “They took the religious people, the rockers and the homosexuals there. He was nothing like that, but, since he did not belong to any youth or artistic association oriented by the government, they applied something that they had invented at that time to him: the Vagrant Law. Of course, that documentary is prohibited,” add Pin Vilar.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
