Also Directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
Havana, Cuba, 1979. Flamboyantly gay artist Diego (Jorge Perugorría) attempts to seduce the straight and strait-laced David, an idealistic young communist, and fails dismally. But David conspires to become friends with Diego so he can monitor the artist's subversive life for the state. As Diego and David discuss politics, individuality and personal expression in Castro's Cuba, a genuine friendship develops between the two. But can it last? Strawberry and Chocolate became an instant hit when it was released, and has become a classic of Cuban cinema due to its charming and authentic exploration of a connection between two people under historical circumstances that seem levelled against them.
A young man attempts to fight the system in an entertaining account of bureaucracy amok and the tyranny of red tape.
A theater director and script-writer falls for a female worker from the Havana docks, but his machismo, social and working conflicts, and the Cuban woman's condition interfere with their relationship.
Short documentary about Cuba's resistance to American invasion.
Susana, a beautiful young girl living in 1990, is happily looking forward to her forthcoming marriage - and has bought an antique mirror to grace her future home. Three weeks before the wedding, the mirror is delivered to her Grandmother's home and taken to Susana's room. Later that day, when looking into the glass, Susana is startled to see the image of a handsome soldier, Nicolas (from 1863), instead of her own reflection. It soon becomes obvious that he can see Susana as clearly as she can see him - and life, for them both, is never quite the same again. Contains three shorts as a trilogy: The Two Way Mirror (El espejo de dos lunas) 1990, 0:29:23 With You from a Distance (Contigo en la distancia) 1991, 0:27:38 Saturday Night Thief (Ladrón de sábado) 1996, 0:24:57
Also Directed by Julio García Espinosa
The metamorphoses of Juan Quin Quin, in turns bullfighter, guerrilla fighter and sacristan.
An episodic film featuring the musical, choreographic and comedic skills of a variety of actors and actresses.
Cheo visits his friend, Manolo, who he hasn't seen for many years. They drink to celebrate their reunion and fondly recall the times they spent together in years past. As they reminisce, the two friends confront the revolution, evaluate their lives, and bare their souls.
Critical testimony on American war crimes in Vietnam. A film both didactic and conscious of itself, bringing together a number of resources, techniques and documentary styles – a true paradigm of imperfect cinema.
The unfair distribution of land in Cuba encourages the support of the peasants to the revolution.
Pedro is a young peasant who leaves home to join the Rebel Army, based in Sierra Maestra.
Documentary that portrays the life of a coal-mining town south of Havana, around 1955, prior to the triumph of the revolution.
Documentary that celebrates 100 years of cinema in Latin America and talks about the origins and the development of cinema in this subcontinent. Its structure is based in 12 short films directed by various Latin American directors. These are: 1) "Los inicios", Iván Trujillo 2) "Cuando comenzamos a hablar", María Novaro 3) "Jugando en serio", Jacobo Morales 4) "De cuerpo presente [Las espirales perpetuas del placer y el poder] Cine Mexicano [1931- 1997]", Marcela Fernández Violante 5) "Cuando quisimos ser adultos", Edmundo Aray and David Rodríguez 6) "Cinema Novo", Orlando Senna 7) "Memorias de una isla, Juan Carlos Tabío 8) "Un grito, 24 cuadros por segundo", Julio García-Espinosa 9) "El día de la independencia", Federico García 10) "¿Sólo las formas permanecen?", Fernando Birri and Pablo Rodríguez Gauregui 11) "Todo final es un principio", Andrés Marriquín.
Featured in a musical environment possible light anywhere in the world, adapted to a Cuban city makes good use of music. The argument is based on the desires and efforts of middle-income families, to hold a quinceanera at a level greater than that permitted by the economic status of a family.
Urban reform during the first months of the Cuban revolution is the subject of this documentary