Big Cuba: CUBAN Film Festival at Babylon Berlin

In Berlin, "Big Cuba", an extraordinary Cuban film festival, will take place in the BABYLON this summer, showing almost 50 films about Cuba. The festival will include a retrospective of the works of Fernando Pérez, who, according to his colleagues and critics, is the most respected living Cuban filmmaker.

KEY VISUAL BIG CUBA FILM FESTIVAL - KUBANISCHES Film Festival im Babylon Kino Berlin

Highlights of the Film Festival:

Retrospective of Fernando Pérez:

All of Fernando Pérez's films, from his early documentaries "Girón" and "Omara" to his latest film "Riquimbili o El mundo de Nelsito".

Latest Cuban films:

"Llamadas desde Moscú" by Alejandro Yero: a documentary about the lives of four queer Cubans in Moscow.

"La mujer salvaje" by Alan Gonzalez. Special presentations:

Restored film "De cierta manera" by Sara Gómez: the first Cuban female director. Unfortunately, she died in 1974 before completing this film.

"Landrián, vuelve al Baile" by Ernesto Daranas: A documentary about the controversial filmmaker Nicolás Guillén Landrián, which premiered at the 2023 Venice Festival.

"Lezama": Focuses on the last literary years of the well-known Cuban writer Lezama Lima.

"Morgan": The story of William Morgan, the only American commander in the Cuban Revolution who was a double or triple agent.

Special honors:

"Juan de los Muertos": a tribute to the recently deceased Alexis Díaz de Villegas.

Short films:

"Habaneceres" by Luis Leonel León: Havana in the 90s as seen through the eyes of four prominent Cuban intellectuals.

"Memorias de una Familia Cubana" by Yan Vega: Praised by French filmmaker Chris Marker.

*All films (OmU) will be provided with German or English subtitles.

Director of the film festival: Ricardo Bacallao

Supporting program / Additional festival activities:

Music:

24/07/24: Roberto Fonseca Solo Concert (Jazz)
03/08/24: Performance by singer-songwriter William Vivanco (Trova/Changüi...)

Chess:

27/07/24: 21-board simultaneous chess demonstration by the 2017 Swedish senior champion and Cuban FIDE Master Luis Couso on July 27. This event will celebrate the world champion from 1921 to 1927, José Raúl Capablanca, and showcase a lesser-known Cuban cultural passion.

Literature:

07/28-24: Performance by writer Marcial Gala on July 28. Gala is the winner of the 2012 National Alejo Carpentier Novel Prize and the Ñ Prize of Buenos Aires with his novel "Call Me Cassandra". His works have been translated into several languages and he was a finalist for the 2023 International PEN Prize for the best translated book.

Culinary: Cuban food will be sold during these 10 days

Opening night:

The festival will open on July 24 with the film "Bebo" about the legendary jazz musician Bebo Valdés, followed by a concert by Roberto Fonseca.

Together with his older brothers Jesús "Chuchito" Valdés and Emilio Valdés, Fonseca comes from the famous musical family of Chucho Valdés and Bebo Valdés.

Never before in Berlin's recent history has there been such a rich showcase of Cuban film, literature and music.

Additional information

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