December 2014 - Cuba Travel Services
Transcription
December 2014 - Cuba Travel Services
what’s on In co-operation with HAVANA dec 2014 Film Fever: International Festival of New Latin American Cinema: December 4-14, 2014 The best 20 Cuban films ever eXtras: A portrait of Cuba’s Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión CUBAN CINEMA ISSUE HAVANA GUIDE RESTAURANTS — BARS & CLUBS — ACCOMMODATION Services offered Direct Flights to Cuba Ground Transportation Assistance with Authorized Activities Car Rentals Group Itineraries Visa/Passport Application Hotel Reservations VIP Services For OFAC authorized passengers only. For terms and conditions see operator-participant contract. Flights operated by American Airlines and Sun Country Airlines License number CTS#2074621 by Nicolas Ordoñez PHOTO With a Passion for Cuba Cuba Absolutely is an independent platform, which seeks to showcase the best in Cuba arts & culture, life-style, sport, travel and much more... We seek to explore Cuba through the eyes of the best writers, photographers and filmmakers, both Cuban and international, who live work, travel and play in Cuba. Beautiful pictures, great videos, opinionated reviews, insightful articles and inside tips. HAVANA GUIDE The ultimate guide to Havana with detailed reviews of where to eat, drink, dance, shop, visit and play. Unique insights to the place that a gregarious, passionate and proud people call home. La Guarida Like us on Facebook for beautiful images, links to interesting articles and regular updates. Over 100 videos including interviews with Cuba’s best artists, dancers, musicians, writers and directors. OUR CONTRIBUTORS Follow us on Twitter for regular updates of new content, reviews, comments and more. We are deeply indebted to all of the writers and photographers who have shared their work with us. We welcome new contributors and would love hear from you if you have a Cuba-related project. You can contact us at [email protected]. Photo by Nicolás Ordóñez from eXtras series - La Diva de Gala EDITORIAL Cover picture by Nicolás Ordóñez from the series eXtras. Featuring Ilka M Valdés & Nelson Rodríguez. This issue is dedicated to Cuban cinema in recognition of Havana’s growing influence in the film culture of the American hemisphere. This is highlighted each year in the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano to be held from December 4-14, 2014 in Havana. Described as the ultimate word in Latin American cinema, this annual get-together of critics, sages and filmmakers has been fundamental in showcasing recent Cuban classics to the world. Cuban cinema has always been closer to the European art-house tradition than to the formula movies of Hollywood. The 1960s were the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos’s (ICAIC) Golden Decade under the leadership of Afredo Guevera. The giants behind the camera were Humberto Solás, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío and Santiago Alvarez who, working under Guevara’s guidance, put cutting-edge Cuban cinema on the international map. Since then, Cuban cinema has passed the baton to a new, equally talented, stash of movie guerrillas including Fernando Pérez (Suite Habana), Juan Carlos Cremata (Viva Cuba) and more recently, Ernesto Daranas’ (Conducta). This issue features retrospectives on the state of Cuban cinema and just what it means to the country, alongside interviews with Enrique Pineda Barnet and Juan Carlos Cremata, and a piece in memory of Humberto Solás. We preview this year’s Havana film festival; our pick of the top 20 Cuban movies of all time and a review of Conducta (this year’s smash hit). We have also profiled the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión in Antonio de los Baños through the eyes of photographer Nicolás Ordóñez in the brilliant series eXtras. Rounding out this issue is an article on Cine Pobre: a low budget hip festival which takes place in April each year. Outside of the cinema, December is a beautiful time to visit Cuba. Long-sleeved shirts may be required but the sun still shines and the festive season is packed with both cultural and historic events from Cuba’s best jazz festival to the wonderful Parrandas de Remedios. Christmas in Cuba is low key, largely free from the mass collective consumerist binge elsewhere and arguably truer to the roots of familial solidarity mixed with the odd glass of rum or two. Enjoy! December 2014 Highlights (Havana, unless stated) • Dec 4-14, International Festival of New Latin American Cinema • Dec 6-21, FIART • Dec 17, Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast day of San Lázaro • Dec 17-21, Jazz Plaza • Dec 24, Parrandas de Remedios, Charangas de Bejucal • Jan 1, Anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution Thanks to all of our contributors, sponsors, partners and readers. Do please keep providing us with your feedback, comments and suggestions. All enquiries should be directed to Sophia Beckman at [email protected]. All the best. Viva Cuba! Photo by Nicolás Ordóñez from eXtras series - Final de camino DECEMBER 2014 CUBAN CINEMA HAVANA LISTINGS HISTORY & CULTURE TRAVEL HAVANA GUIDE Havana’s Film Fever p6 Chronicles of a country told in celluloid p13 Just how good is Cuban cinema today? p16 The best 20 Cuban films ever p18 Conducta: Ernesto Daranas’s smash hit p24 Enrique Pineda Barnet: A life spent at the movies p26 Humberto Solás: For the love of Cuba p29 Juan Carlos Cremata: An irreverent genius p31 Cuba’s International School of Cinema p34 eXtras: A portrait of Cuba’s Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión p36 Cine Pobre: Cuba’s hippest & retro film festival p39 Visual Arts p41 — Photography p44 — Dance p45 — Music p46 — Theatre p55 — For Kids p57 Dec 17: Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast day of San Lázaro p59 Dec 24: Parrandas de Remedios: An explosive Christmas p61 Dec 24: Charangas de Bejucal p64 Dec 25 & 31: Christmas & New Year’s Eve in Cuba p65 Jan 1, 1959: Triumph of the Cuban Revolution p68 Nazdarovie: Soviet style, Cuban finesse p70 Features — Restaurants — Bars & Clubs — Live Music — Hotels — Private Accommodation p73 Havana’s Film Fever by Juliet Barclay During the first two weeks of December, a virulent plague takes hold of Havana. Immunization is impossible and there’s no option but to surrender. The consolation is that there are so many fellowsufferers with whom to compare notes on symptoms, cures and pulling extended sickies from work. Employers are not inclined to be sympathetic to doctor’s certificates for Cinemania Febril Virulans, or to give it its common name, Film Fever. The cause of the epidemic is the annual Latin America Havana Film Festival. For a fortnight, queues wind round and round the blocks which house the main cinemas and a hot trade takes place in passes and tickets. The riskier the film, the further from the center of town it seems to be shown, so serious movie buffs often find themselves driving to tiny cinemas in obscure little villages in what seems like the back of beyond to see films which don’t always merit the journey. But a desperate mustsee mentality has the habaneros in its inexorable grip, and all reason is abandoned in the keen-eyed pursuit of celluloid novelty. The names of the stars are on ever yone’s lips, scandalous gossip about their private lives passes from balcony to balcony and strange disjointed conversations take place about the convolutions of plots and individual characterizations as the previous night’s offerings are mercilessly dissected in kitchens and offices You’ve all over the city. The infection spreads like wildfire and before very long it passes to cities all over the island. Since December 3, 1979 Cuba’s flamboyant capital has been the venue for the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Local passion for the ‘Seventh Art’ dates back to 6pm on Sunday, January 24, 1897 when the island’s first film was exhibited in a small hall close to the former Tacón Theatre, now the Gran Teatro de La Habana. According to contemporary newspaper reports, over two thousand habaneros turned out to see a series of 20-minute shows that continued until midnight. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 6 PRODUCED BY .COM With the same enthusiasm exhibited by their ancestors, millions of film buffs throughout Cuba support the Festival, which has served as a launch pad for Latin American cinematography and become one of the leading festivals of the region. With awards in categories that include animated film, documentary, fiction, first work, unpublished script and poster, as well as direction, screenplay, actor, actress, art direction, music, film editing and sound, the Festival has not only honored filmmakers and technicians of the region, but also the best films on Latin American subjects by directors from further afield. The energetic atmosphere of the Festival and the discussions it provokes have caused numerous cinematic celebrities to visit Havana: Steven Spielberg, Pedro Almodóvar—accompanied by his creative harem, Francis Ford Coppola, Carlos Saura, Oliver Stone, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Robert de Niro and Michel Legrand have been welcomed with the same enthusiasm with which earlier habaneros greeted Marlon Brando, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Cesare Zavattini and Alain Delon. It remains to be seen whether one of Havana’s barmen will create a cocktail named after a star… somehow, asking for a Cameron Diaz doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as a request for a Mary Pickford. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 7 PRODUCED BY .COM The Havana Film Festival has also contributed to the recovery of Cuban cinematography, which had declined due to the economic crisis in Cuba in the 1990s, by supporting partnerships with overseas production companies. It’s the variety and creativity of films shown at the Havana Film Festival every year that attract thousands of visitors eager to experience Latin American cinema, meet its most significant figures, attend collateral screenings and throw themselves into the frenzied comings and goings of Cuban moviegoers. Film fever, like malaria, recurs, but if you’re not afraid of infection we’ll see you in Havana in December. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 8 PRODUCED BY .COM XXXVI Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano Since December 3, 1979, Havana has been the venue of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which has served as a launch pad for Latin American cinematography and become one of the leading film festivals in the region. Awards are given in categories that include animation, documentary, fiction, first work, unpublished script and poster, as well as direction, screenplay, actor, actress, art direction, photography, music, film editing and sound. Numerous professional workshops and seminars also take place during the festival, plus much awaited screenings of international contemporary cinema. The organizers have announced that 42 feature films out of over 100 films will be competing for prizes and that the event will open with the Argentinean film Relatos salvajes, directed by Damián Szifrón. The film deals with extreme situations of heartbreak and violence and is sure to win some of the awards.’ Argentina will be bringing the largest number of feature films, most of them in co-production, including La tercera orilla and Aire libre.’ Brazil, whose participation this year will not be as significant as in the past, will bring Traigo conmigo and Playa de futuro. Chile will probably will gain popular success with the thriller Matar a un hombre, while La voz en off seems of interest as well as La tierra en la lengua from Colombia. You’ve The Cuban films in competition include the excellent Conducta directed by Ernesto Daranas; La pared de las palabras by the acclaimed director Fernando Pérez. The film is a heartrending reflection on (in)communication of man, pain and the limits to sacrifice, with a deluxe cast that includes Jorge Perugorría, Isabel Santos, Laura de la Uz, Verónica Lynn and Carlos Enrique’ Almirante. Other Cuban film. Other Cuban films that will be competing for prizes are Fátima o el Parque de la Fraternidad directed by Jorge Perugorría, based on a story by Miguel Barnet about a transvestite who reigns in Havana at night, also with a “heavyweight” cast: Carlos Enrique Almirante, Mirta Ibarra and Broselianda Hernández; Venecia directed by Enrique Kiki Álvarez, which tells the story of three hairdressers who on payday have a night on the town; and the promising first work Vestido de novia directed by Marilyn Solaya, which which deals with the conflict faced by a man who discovers he is married to a transsexual, with another star cast: Luis Alberto García, Laura de la Uz, Isabel Santos and Jorge Perugorría. The social vocation and interest in bringing history to the present times, which was one of the keys of new Latin American cinema in its infancy, seems to have given way to fiction, personal stories, the intimate nature, introspection, but still hold sway among documentaries with films such as A vuelo de contents waited Long Enough PAGE 9 PRODUCED BY .COM pajarito y La ballena va llena (Argentina), Manos unidas (Argentina-Bolivia-Chile), A quemarropa, Castaña, Democracia en blanco y negro (Brazil) and Chile, las imágenes prohibidas. One of the attractions of the festival have always been guests stars who come to the event, and it is said that Benicio del Toro, Matt Dillon and possibly the great Russian director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky will be arriving in Havana soon . The first digital projectors purchased by Cuba have been installed at the Chaplin, Yara amd Multicine Infanta theaters, where the sound systems have also been improved. A mobile screen will tour several districts throughout Havana, including Alamar, Cerro, Old Havana, San Miguel del Padrón, Víbora, Lisa, Habana del Este and Regla. The event will pay tribute to one of the founders of the Festival. Gabriel García Márquez, with screenings of documentaries on his life and films based on his works at the Pabellón Cuba. Competing Feature Films, First Works and short films CHAPLIN THEATER December 5-11, 10am, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 & 10:30pm Feature Films: Argentina, Mexico, Denmark, US, Netherlands, Germany, France, 2014, Fiction, 108’, HD, Color EL CERRAJERO Argentina, 2013, Fiction, 77’, HD, Color JAUJA LA TERCERA ORILLA Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, 2014, Fiction, 92’, 35 mm, Color REFUGIADO RELATOS SALVAJES Argentina, Spain, 2014, Fiction, 122’, HD, Color AIRE LIBRE You’ve Argentina, Poland, Colombia, France, Germany, 2014, Fiction, 95’, HD, Color Argentina, Uruguay, 2014, Fiction, 102’, HD, Color contents waited Long Enough PAGE 10 PRODUCED BY .COM TRAGO COMIGO Brazil, 2013, Fiction, 84’, HD, Color FÁTIMA O EL Cuba, 2014, Fiction, 90’, HD, Color PARQUE DE LA FRATERNIDAD A ESTRADA 47 Brazil, Italy, Portugal, 2013, Fiction, 107’, HD, B/N-Color LA PARED DE Cuba, 2014, Fiction, 90’, HD, Color LAS PALABRAS MATAR A UN HOMBRE Chile, France, 2014, Fiction, 82’, HD, Color VENECIA Cuba, Colombia, 2014, Fiction, 74’, HD, Color LA VOZ EN OFF Chile, France, Canada, Fiction, 96’, HD, Color VIENTO APARTE Mexico, 2014, Fiction, 99’, HD, Color TIERRA EN LA LENGUA Colombia, 2013, Fiction, 86’, HD, Color LOS AUSENTES Mexico, Spain, France, Fiction, 80’, HD, Color LOS HONGOS Colombia, Argentina, France, Germany, 2014, Fiction, 103’, HD, Color DÓLARES DE ARENA Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico, 2014, Fiction, 80’, HD, Color CONDUCTA Cuba, 2014, Fiction, 108’, HD, Color MR. KAPLAN Uruguay, Spain, Germany, 2014, Fiction, 98’, HD, Color LA SALADA Argentina, 2014, Fiction, 88’, HD, Color EL CORDERO Chile, 2014, Fiction, 90’, HD, Color JUANA A LOS 12 Argentina, Austria, 2014, Fiction, 78’, HD, Color LA MADRE DEL Chile, 2014, Fiction, 79’, HD, Color CORDERO ATLÁNTIDA Argentina, France, 2014, Fiction, 88’, HD, Color NO SOY LORENA Chile, Argentina, 2014, Fiction, 82’, HD, Color CIENCIAS NATURALES Argentina, France, 2014, Fiction, 71’, HD, Color GENTE DE BIEN Colombia, France, 2014, Fiction, 86’, HD, Color HISTORIA DEL MIEDO Argentina, France, Germany, Uruguay, 2014, Fiction, 79’, HD, Color VESTIDO DE NOVIA Cuba, Spain, 2014, Fiction, 104’, HD, Color A HISTÓRIA DA ETERNIDADE Brazil, 2014, Fiction, 118’, HD, Color FERIADO Ecuador, Argentina, 2014, Fiction, 82’, HD, Color CASA GRANDE Brazil, 2014, Fiction, 112’, HD, Color GÜEROS México, 2014, Fiction, 106’, HD, B/N OBRA Brasil, 2014, Fiction, 80’, HD, B/N LA VIDA DESPUÉS Mexico, 2013, Fiction, 90’, HD, Color 2014, 2014, First Works: Brasil, 2014, Fiction, 80’, HD, B/N OBRA PERMANÊNCIA Brazil, 2014, Fiction, 90’, HD, Color VENTOS DE AGOSTO Brazil, 2014, Fiction, 77’, HD, Color EN LA ESTANCIA Mexico, Argentina, 2014, Fiction, 106’, HD, Color CLIMAS Peru, Colombia, 2013, Fiction, 84’, HD, Color EL REGRESO Venezuela, 2013, Fiction, 107’, 35 mm, Color You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 11 PRODUCED BY .COM OTHER COMPETITIONS Multicine Infanta Dec 4-14, 8pm DOCUMENTARIES Dec 5-10, 10am ANIMATED FILMS SPECIAL SHOWINGS Teatro Martí DEC 7, 5PM Cine Infanta Sala 3 The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, Alfred Hitchcock, 1927, UK DEC 10, 10AM The Second Homeland, Edgar Reitz, Germany OTHER SHOWINGS / From Latin America Cine 23 y 12 Cine Infanta Sala 2 DEC 4-7, 5:30 & 8PM Diversity DEC 4-9, 10:30PM At midnight DEC 4, 5, 8, 9, 3PM For all ages DEC 10-11, 10:30PM Stories of violence DEC 6 & 7, 10AM For all ages DEC 4-14, 12:30PM Society DEC 8-14, 10:30AM Sports Cine Infanta Sala 3 Sala Charlot DEC 4-8, 3PM Cities and other landscapes DEC 9-14, 3PM; Exodus DEC 9-14, 5:30PM Latin American film library DEC 4-7, 10:30AM Faith DEC 4-7, 5:30PM Environment Musicals DEC 9-11, 5:30PM Shorts Cine Infanta Sala 4 DEC 4-12, 12:30PM Art & tradition DEC 4-14, 3PM Memory DEC 9-12, 5:30PM Puerto Rican documentaries Cine Acapulco DEC 4-14, 10AM, 12:30, 3, 530, 8 & 10:30PM Cine Charles Chaplin Avant-garde DEC 4-14, 6PM DEC 4-14, 12:30PM Packed house FROM OTHER REGIONS CINE RIVIERA DEC 5-9, 8PM German cinema CINE LA RAMPA DEC, 8:00 PM Canadian cinema CINE RIVIERA DEC 4-14, 5:30PM Spanish cinema CINE INFANTA SALA 3 DEC 5-8/, 5:30 PM Animated Japanese cinema CINE CHARLES CHAPLIN DEC 5-10, 10AM Independent African-American Film (1915-1952): CINE 23 Y 12 DEC 8- 11, 5:30PM Two Indie Filmmakers: Jim Jjarmush & Sara Driver CINE INFANTA, SALA 1 DEC 5-9, 12:30PM Retrospective of Eugene Jarecki CINE CHARLES CHAPLIN DEC 4- 14, 4PM Experimental Film from the US CINES RIVIERA, LA RAMPA & 23 Y 12 DEC 10:30PM International Panorama CINE INFANTA SALA 4 DEC 8, 5:30 PM Bafta 2013 Shorts CINE INFANTA SALA 4 DEC 4-11, 10AM Y 8PM Documentaries For more information see http://www.habanafilmfestival.com You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 12 PRODUCED BY .COM Left to right Manuel Octavio Gómez, Santiago Álverez, Tomas Gutiérrez Alea, Julio Espinosa, Pinera Barnet Chronicles of a country told in celluloid by Ricardo Alberto Pérez For Cubans of my generation, going to the movies has always been a happy occasion. It has also been a rather spiritual way of cultivating friendships, making new friends and finding unexpected passions. Generally speaking, in one way or another, the inhabitants of this Island have spent the twentieth century showing their passion for the art of filmmaking. Cinematography made its arrival in Cuba relatively early. It was brought from Mexico in 1897 by Gabriel Veyre who that same year presented the first public screening on the Paseo del Prado, near the Tacón Theater. Veyre also filmed one minute of the first movie ever made in Cuba, Simulacro de Incendio, a documentary about the firefighters of Havana. Clearly, for both filmmakers and spectators, the cinema has meant much more than mere entertainment. Its language has been a very clear and efficient way of expressing and spreading our identity, our conflicts and our dreams as well as for also for remembering crucial moments in our history. Over the years, a mature audience emerged, one that continued the love for film of earlier generations, and have watched the You’ve work of many filmmakers with lofty esthetic and conceptual aspirations. In the Republican Period (1902 to 1959), the most important directors were Enrique Diaz Quesada and Ramón Peón García. The former dedicated his career to making historical films such as the outstanding Libertadores o guerrilleros (1914).I n 1930, Ramón Peón filmed La Virgen de la Caridad, making a huge impact with its strong religious content. The short documentary El mégano (1955), directed by Julio García Espinosa with the collaboration of Alfredo Guevara, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and José Massip. seems to signal a point of departure towards more substantial films having serious esthetics and working with concerns of all kinds. As we notice the names of the men involved in this production, we can see that all of them would become key figures within the cinematographic movement that was to be hatched just after the triumph of the Revolution. After 1959, renewal fever gripped the country and it was reflected in filmmaking. Just three months into 1959, the revolutionary government passed contents waited Long Enough PAGE 13 PRODUCED BY .COM Filmación de Fresa y Chocolate... the first law in the area of culture: the creation of the ICAIC (Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry), under the guidance of Alfredo Guevara, In 1960, the Latin American Nnewsreel saw its first screening. It was directed by Santiago Alvarez, the greatest Cuban documentary filmmaker who reached a high point in his work with Now, a documentary on the death of the US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.). There was a time when the ICAIC Latin American Newsreel was as looked forward to in movie houses as the feature film that would be screened after it. It had an inestimable and valuable influence on the development of the documentary genre. Fernando Pérez dirigiendo Martí... You’ve In the early years of the Revolution, important filmmakers, such as Agnes Varda, Cesare Zavatini and Mikhail Kalatozov visited Cuba, drawn by curiosity and the enthusiastic fervor here. They made films on the Island, leaving an important mark on some of our fledgling directors. At that time, a young filmmaker began his ascent: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, affectionately known as Titón. He arrived fresh from his training at the Cinema Institute of Rome, Italy, under the benevolent and visible influence of neorealism. Among his early films were Historias de la Revolución and Las doce sillas, but his greatest production is Memorias del subdesarrollo, providing us with a lucid reflection on what was happening in Cuba at the time. It also divided our cinematographic art scene into a “before” and an “after.” Filmación de la Bella de la Alhambra. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 14 PRODUCED BY .COM Pineda Barnet,dirigiendo la anunciación.... By the 1990s, Cuban movies were saturated by a kind of ennui and dealt with the leitmotifs of emigration and the shortages earmarking the Special Period. It was also a time when co-productions began to be increasingly made. Now, in the twenty-first century, Cuban films are being enriched by a wave of independent productions, movies made mainly by young people but also by some of the more veteran directors. Generally speaking, this is critical and innovative work, stimulated by the National Show of New Filmmakers. The best directors of this decade are Juan Carlos Cremata, Pável Giroud, Lester Hamlet and Esteban Insausti. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea continued building a solid career in the years that followed with other outstanding films, including La última cena and Los sobrevivientes. In 1993, he hit a second high point with his Fresa y Chocolate (codirected with Juan Carlos Tabío), a film that makes the consistent evolution of his work and his adhesion to dialectics very clear. The film was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film in 1994. Titon’s contemporaries are such outstanding directors as Humberto Solas (Lucía), Julio García Espinosa (Las aventuras de Juan Quinquín) and Manuel Octavio Gómez (La primera carga al machete). But we cannot truly end any commentary on the state of Cuban cinema today without underlining the crucial role played by institutions such as the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños and the New Latin American Film Foundation, as well as events such as the Havana Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which is getting ready to run its thirty-sixth edition. The Festival will be held this from December, 4-14 and to the 14th and will be dedicated to that great fan of the movies, Gabriel García Márquez. Post-Revolutionary Cuban cinema loyally chronicled and witnessed the different stages and transformations the country was going through. It experienced a sort of mutational process in response to the political and social conditions of the time. During the 1970s-1980s, we were seeing many productions with distinctive ideological and historical content but also with remarkable artistic quality, as in two films directed by Enrique Pineda Barnet: Mella and Aquella larga noche. With the arrival of the 1980s, Cuban cinema recovered its connections to a massive audiencebase thanks to a number of comedies that ironically poked fun at the behaviors of many Cubans. Some of these titles were Se permuta, Los pájaros tirándole a la escopeta and Plaff. In 1989, Pineda Barnet surprised us once more with an excellent film, a musical called La bella del Alhambra, which introduced us to the amazing talent of its young leading lady ,Beatriz Valdés. This period also saw the production of Fernando Perez’s Clandestinos. In subsequent years, this director would be responsible for a remarkable body of work that includes Madagascar, Suite Habana, La vida es silbar and José Martí, el ojo del canario. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 15 PRODUCED BY .COM Just how good is Cuban cinema today? by Victoria Alcalá About a year ago, the Cubasi website launched a provocative survey: Are the movies being made today in Cuba better or worse than those that were made in the 1960s? From October 8, 2013 to February 14, 2014, out of 712 persons who cast their vote, 50.3% thought they were worse, 39.7% thought they were better and 10% thought they were the same. The result is a sort of technical tie in the assessment by a supposedly “general public” of the most recent Cuban films. (www.cubasi. cu/index.php?option=com_poll&id=62:iel-cinecubano-actual-es-mejor-o-peor-al-que-se-hizoen-la-decada-del-sesenta). It is possible that there will be critics and filmmakers who would differ about this parity and, no doubt, they would have their reasons for doing so, such as the precarious technology of the Cuban film industry, the lack of resources, small annual production figures, commitments requiering coproductions, the ostensible deterioration of movie theatres many of which have been shut down or converted to other uses…But as we glance over the productions made between 2001 and 2014 now closing, the panorama shows itself less bleak than one would imagine. The first thing that demands our attention is the feature-length debuts of new filmmakers who are enriching films with fresh outlooks and ideas. You’ve There are such remarkable films as Juan Carlos Cremata’s Nada (2001) and Viva Cuba (2004), Pavel Giroud’s La edad de la peseta (2006), Alejandro Brugués’ Personal Belongings (2008) and Juan de los muertos (2011), Ian Padrón’s Fuera de liga (2008) and Habanastation (2011), Ernesto Daranas’ Los dioses rotos (2009) and Conducta (2014), Lester Hamlet’s Casa vieja (2010), Charlie Medina’s Penumbras (2012) and Carlos Lechuga’s Melaza (2013). If we add to that body of work the fiction shorts and the almost underground documentaries that are off the commercial circuits and TV, to be seen every year at the New Filmmakers’ Show and circulating informally, we have to admit that the rebirth of Cuban cinema is a fact even though it does not bring with it a realistic remodeling of the institutional production and distribution structures and often has to rely on more or less “independent” channels. As for the more veteran directors, they haven’t just been standing around and twiddling their thumbs, waiting placidly for their replacements. Fernando Pérez, the most important Cuban director today, has given birth in these first decades of the new century to two of his most relevant and moving productions: Suite Habana (2003) and El ojo del canario (2010). Enrique Pineda Barnet emerged from a long twenty-year hiatus with La anunciación (2009) and the controversial Verde verde (2012). contents waited Long Enough PAGE 16 PRODUCED BY .COM Gerardo Chijona finished Perfecto amor equivocado (2004), the heart-wrenching Boleto al paraíso (2011) and Esther en alguna parte (2012). And Rogelio París released the highly publicized but insignificant Kangamba (2008), Humberto Solás, one of the icons of the 1960s made his last film Barrio Cuba (2005) to partial success without reaching the heights of his emblematic Lucía or Un hombre de éxito, Manuel Pérez gave us his visceral Páginas del diario de Mauricio (2006), Juan Carlos Tabío sat at the apex of popularity with his ironic El cuerno de la abundancia (2009) while Daniel Díaz Torres closed his filmography with La película de Ana (2012), one of the best of his career. With all this work by veterans and beginners, new subjects made their appearance on the big screen, new problems and concerns were being shown in Cuban films: marginality (Conducta, Chamaco, Habanastation), disillusionment (Páginas del diario de Mauricio, Boleto al paraíso, Penumbras, El cuerno de la abundancia), homoeroticism and homophobia (Verde verde), the drama of emigration (Nada, Personal Belongings, Viva Cuba, La anunciación, Casa vieja), material precariousness (Suite Habana, Melaza, Barrio Cuba), explicit eroticism (Afinidades) and prostitution (La película de Ana, Los dioses rotos). There was an outbreak of adaptations of theatrical plays (El premio flaco, Casa vieja, Chamaco, Penumbras, Si vas a comer espera por Virgilio, Contigo pan y cebolla) You’ve along with revitalization of the documentary, the legitimization of new actors and the arrival of new technical personnel ready to take on the challenge of changing technologies. The first Cuban zombie movie was made (Juan de los muertos), the first Cuban science-fiction movie (Omega 3), the first Cuban 3D graphics movie (Meñique) and the first independent productions (Mañana, Melaza, Juan de los Muertos) far away from those distant years when the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) was founded. Several important events were founded in this decade: the Santiago Álvarez In Memoriam International Documentary Film Festival (2000), the New Filmmakers’ Show (2001) and the International Low-Budget Film Festival of Gibara (2003). And in opposition to some pessimistic forecasts, the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema continued to breathe life. The announced premieres of La pared de las palabras (Fernando Pérez, for the first time affiliated with the independent Santa Fe Producciones), Leontina (Rudy Mora), Fátima (Jorge Perugorría), Venecia (Enrique Álvarez) and Vestido de novia (Marilyn Solaya) promises a good harvest for 2015. So, in answer to our opening question, we would answer “neither better nor worse, Cuban cinema is—true to the times—different.” contents waited Long Enough PAGE 17 PRODUCED BY .COM The best 20 Cuban films ever by Silvia Gómez, 2014 To call Cubans film buffs is a gross understatement: Cinema looms in the national consciousness. It makes sense, then, that if any major art form offers a vivid, frank window into Cuban society, it is film. Cuban cinema has won accolades from all around the globe; a glance at the list below reveals awards and honorable mentions for a great number of films. Before the Revolution, Cuban cinema existed in a diluted form controlled by the U.S. film industry. In the 1960s, the support granted by the newly formed ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinema Art and Industry)—plus the copious cache of primary material and inspiration on the ground in Havana—allowed a handful of talented filmmakers to launch careers that would, in turn, launch Cuban cinema to internationallyrecognized heights. La muerte de un burócrata [Death of a Bureaucrat] Memorias del subdesarrollo [Memories of Underdevelopment] 1966 / Dir. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea 1968 / Dir. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea This black comedy that lashes out against institutionalized bureaucracy tells the story of a young man’s attempts to disinter his uncle who was buried with a document that his widow now needs to legalize her pension. This was the first great Cuban film of international significance. Special Jury Prize at the 1996 Karlovy Vary Film Festival (Czechoslovakia). A middle-class intellectual, who has stayed in Cuba after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, faces during those early years a new world he does not seem to grasp. Solid dramaturgy and outstanding acting, it is the most acclaimed Cuban film by national and international critics and was selected among the best 100 films of all times by the International Federation of Film-Clubs. Based on Edmundo Desnoes’s award-winning novel. Lucía 1968 / Dir. Humberto Solás These three tales about three Lucías set in three separate periods that were essential to the formation, consolidation and splendour of Cuban national conscience--1895, 1932 and the early years of the Revolution--reflect the parallel maturing process of Cuban women. Gold Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival, 1969; Golden Globe at the Italian Cinematheque Film Festival (Milan) 1970. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 18 PRODUCED BY .COM La última cena [The Last Supper] 1976 / Dir. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Set in 18th-century Cuba and freely based on a true story, the film recreates the tale of a slave owner who decides to instruct his slaves in the canons of Christianity by inviting twelve of them to a reenactment of the Last Supper, where hypocrisy under the disguise of faith and the ancestral instincts of liberty are brought face to face with each other. The famous supper scene--centrepiece of the film--with its solid dialogues, accomplished portrayals, profound historical research, brilliant acting, meticulous set design, artistic coherence, timely music and bold camera work gives rise to one of the best moments in Latin American cinema of all time. Its numerous awards include the Golden Hugo at the 1976 International Film Festival of Chicago and the First Grand Prix at the 1979 Iberian and Latin American Film Festival of Biarritz. Los sobrevivientes [The Survivors] Retrato de Teresa [Portrait of Teresa] 1978 / Dir. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea 1979 / Dir. Pastor Vega Set in the 1960s, an aristocratic family from Havana seeks refuge in their estate when the revolutionary process adopts a radical position. Their total isolation from the outside world leads them to their material and spiritual disintegration in an evolutionary journey that goes from civilization to a state of barbarism. The theme of the closed universe of a house, at times dealt with by European cinema, adopts here a Cuban view of the absurd and extravagance. Notable Film of the year, London Film festival, 1979; Gold Prize, Damascus Film Festival, 1981; Gold Plaque and Ghandi Award, Laceno d’Oro Festival, Avellino, 1981. The crisis of a marriage is accentuated when the husband’s sexist attitude and the wife’s desire to become more liberated clash in this incisive portrayal of Cuban society of the 1970s: a profound insight into prejudice and conventionality. Outstanding performance by one of the screen idols of Cuban cinema, Daisy Granados. Best Actress, Moscow Film Festival, 1979 and Cartagena Film Festival, 1980; Outstanding Film of the Year, London Festival, 1980, among others. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 19 PRODUCED BY .COM Clandestinos [Clandestine] Papeles secundarios [Supporting Roles] 1987 / Dir. Fernando Pérez 1989 / Dir. Orlando Rojas Based on real events of urban guerrilla units fighting the Batista regime during the 50s, the film reflects the atmosphere of terror in which these young people fought and overthrew the tyrant, giving up their own lives, without losing the joy of living or the conviction that victory would be achieved. Fernando Pérez made his debut as a director with this film, characterized by convincing dramaturgy, impeccable performances, accurate script and meticulous photography. Corals for Best First Work and Best Actress, International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, 1987; Golden Catalina for Direction and Best Actor, International Film Festival, Cartagena de Indias, 1988. The film’s stories, told in an atmosphere of professional frustration, take place during the rehearsal of a play whose ending reveals the moral weaknesses of the characters while it stresses individual and collective responsibility in their personal as well as national future. Awarded the Bronze Hand at the 1990 New York Latin Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at the 1990 Latin American Film Festival of Italy. La bella del Alhambra [The Alhambra Beauty] 1989 / Dir. Enrique Pineda Barnet The story of a vaudeville actress during the 1920s, who asserting herself unscrupulously in the sordid world behind the curtains, achieved fame, and in her old age was nurtured by her memories. Based on Miguel Barnet’s novel Canción de Rachel [Rachel’s Song], it is also an anthology of the best Cuban music of the first decades of the 20th century. A melodrama that is easily seen more than once thanks to its soundtrack music, excellent versions of Cuban vernacular music and the terrific performance of its versatile star, Beatriz Valdés. Goya Award, 1989; Best Actress, Latino Film Festival (New York), 1989; Coral Awards for Soundtrack, Set Design and Setting, International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, 1989. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 20 PRODUCED BY .COM Adorables mentiras [Adorable Lies] Fresa y chocolate [Strawberry and Chocolate] 1991 / Dir. Gerardo Chijona 1993 / Dir. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea & Juan A make-believe swapping of sexual partners triggers a reflection on hypocrisy, falseness, mediocrity, corruption and the loss of values of certain individuals of Cuban society of the late 1980s. The film plays with the resources of melodrama and comedy of intrigue to reveal the conflicts without attempting to solve them. Coral to Best Screenplay, International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, 1991; APCLAI Award to Best Screenplay, Latin American Film Festival, Trieste, 1992. Madagascar Carlos Tabío A young college student and a homosexual who loves the culture of his country build up a complex relationship in the midst of social prejudices during the late 1970s, early 1980s. The film is an attack on sexual, ideological, political and religious intolerance. Based on Senel Paz’s short story El lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo [The Wolf, the Forest and the New Man], the film has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the 1994 Berlin International Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, and is the first Cuban production ever nominated for an Academy Award as best foreign language film. La vida es silbar [Life is to Whistle] 1994 / Dir. Fernando Pérez The conflict between a mother and a daughter becomes a study on the lack of communication and on the individual and social after-effects of intolerance and dogmatism. Based on Mirta Yánez’s story Los Beatles contra Durán Durán [The Beatles against Durán Durán], the film was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1995 International Film Festival of Freiburg, Switzerland and the Caligari Award at the 1995 Berlin International Film Festival, among others. You’ve 1998/ Dir. Fernando Pérez Set in Havana in the late 1990s, the characters’ dreams, hopes, needs and frustrations are interwoven in an imaginary situation which blurs the line between reality and wishes. Built upon a language of the absurd, the story of each of the contents waited Long Enough PAGE 21 PRODUCED BY .COM characters reveals a constant search for happiness, here and now, and how complicated this can be when destiny is a factor to be reckoned with. Best Spanish Language Foreign Film Goya Awards (Spain) 2000; C.I.C.A.E. Award at Forum of New Cinema at Berlin International Film Festival 1999; Special Mention, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Actress, Havana Film Festival; FIPRESCI Award; Glauber Rocha Award; Grand Coral-First Prize; OCIC Special Award; Radio Havana Award at Havana Film Festival 1999; KNF Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival 1999; Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival 1999; Flaiano Award for Best Foreign Film, Italy 2000. Nada / [Nothing] Suite Habana 2001 / Dir. Juan Carlos Cremata 2003 / Dir. Fernando Pérez A young woman, who works in a post office and whose parents emigrated to Miami, rewrites letters to improve the lives of its recipients. When she is notified that she has been granted a visa to travel to the US, she must decide whether to leave and get on with her life or to stay and continue helping others. In this his first film, Cremata-an audacious director who does not follow welltrodden paths--uses discreetly the techniques of comics and animated film, enriching the story with a combination of satire and teasing humour. Coral Best First Work, International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, 2001; Vesubio Award, Naples Film Festival, 2002; Best Full-Length Fiction Film, Miami International Film Festival, 2003, among others. Revealing the anguish, frustrations and hopes of people who live in corners of Havana that are never included in package tours, this film both moves and shocks by its poignancy. A striking feature is the fact that the director chose to focus on the images in an intense dialogue with music, and where no words are spoken precisely in a society that is characterized by its loquacity. First Prize at the Havana International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, 2003; and SIGNIS Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, 2003. Viva Cuba 2004 / Dir. Juan Carlos Cremata Set in the 1990s, this road movie of a girl and a boy who travel from Havana to the easternmost tip of Cuba is an ode to friendship and the simple daily experiences that conform the meaning of homeland, as well as a call for respecting children’s needs, concerns and contradictions, so often overlooked by adults. The film’s many awards and recognitions are justified not only for the amazing performance of its two young lead actors but for the message of humanism it puts across. Grand Prix Ecrans Juniors, Cannes, 2005; Best Film, International Children’s Film Festival, L’Aisne, France, 2006; Best Film, Wurzburg International Film Festival, Germany, 2006; Best Film, Internationale Kinder Film Festival, Bremen and Hannover, Germany, 2006, among others. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 22 PRODUCED BY .COM Los dioses rotos [The Broken Gods] 2009 / Dir. Ernesto Daranas The research conducted by a young sociologist about the legendary Cuban pimp Alberto Yarini Ponce de León, member of a wealthy Havana family who was murdered in the San Isidro neighbourhood in 1910 by a French souteneur, takes her into today’s subworld of prostitution and pimping and involves her in a plot that increasingly develops into a tragedy, where the past seems to come to life in Havana’s marginal neighborhoods today. Excellent performances; coherent use of elements of melodrama, documentary and video clip; credible and at the same time grisly characters are some of the virtues that make Ernesto Daranas’s first feature movie one of the most significant Cuban films in recent years, winner of several awards at the 30th International Festival of Latin American Cinema and the 6th Cine Pobre Festival, both in 2008, as well as winner for Best Art Direction and Best Music at the 17th Providence Latin American Film Festival in the United States in 2009. El ojo del canario [The Eye of the Canary] Juan de los muertos [Juan of the Dead] 2010 / Dir. Fernando Pérez 2011 / Dir. Alejandro Brugués This is undoubtedly the most significant film made in Cuba in the 21st century, so far. Based on the childhood and adolescence of José Martí, Apostle of the independence of Cuba, the film turns away from the hackneyed biographies of patriots and portrays a human being within a difficult family environment, filled with the typical contradictions and insecurities of a teenager in 19th-century Havana. The film’s excellent atmosphere and outstanding performances were pivotal to the awards received by the film not only in Cuba, but also at the Ibero-American Film Festival of Huelva, Spain in 2010 for Best Direction; and at the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences in 2011 for the Best Ibero-American Film (ex aequo). Havana invaded by zombies; the media that insists on accusing imperialism and dissidents; a scoundrel--Juan--who takes advantage of the circumstances to get ahead. Special effects never seen before in Cuba, good photography, regular performances, but most of all fun, irony, and even sarcasm in its way of approaching reality, guarantees to draw audiences that are eager for some fun and excess. The film won the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film, Spain; the Audience Award at the Havana Film Festival; Audience Award Runners Up at the Fantastic Fest, Austin, Texas; and the Fanomenon Audience Award at the Leeds International Film Festival, England. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 23 PRODUCED BY .COM Conducta Ernesto Daranas’s smash hit by Victoria Alcalá It’s been a long time since a Cuban film grabbed the imagination of the movie-going public in Havana the way that Conducta has over the past month. Not only do the long lines outside the main movie theatres attest to the interest generated but it has also spurred discussion and debate around the educational system in general. Brilliant performances and beautiful camera work combine to make this unembellished look into contemporary Cuba the most notable film since Fernando Perez’s Suite Habana in 2003. anecdotal account to give the viewers truths that some people prefer not to see: the intolerance and unconditional adherence to formalities and bureaucratic rule; the futility of educating within a bell jar and the crime of refusing to alleviate wrongdoings on the pretext that it is not possible to eradicate them entirely. Conducta manages to deliver without lapsing The film’s synopsis could make you think that this is one of many Cuban stories, novels, plays that examine contemporary issues. But Conducta is something different. It is an incisive, sensitive, deeply humane artistic look into the harsh and difficult life of individuals who are povertystricken and marginalized in Cuba. The story of Chala, the kid who supports his alcoholic and drug addict mother by breeding pigeons and training fighting dogs; who is loved and understood by his teacher but is sent to a school for children with behavioral problems when the teacher falls ill and is temporarily replaced by an inexperienced young teacher, transcends the You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 24 PRODUCED BY .COM into sentimentality or didacticisms. The script, also by Daranas, is coherent; the dialogues are accurate and consistent, devoid of the verbalism that has hindered other films of this nature. The characters are solid and compelling, drawn with precision and without Manichaeism. Alejandro Pérez’s photography manages to convey warmth and poetry to a particularly damaged and impoverished area of the city. And above all, the wonderful performances—precise, perfect. Alina Rodríguez embodies a firm yet sensitive teacher who has been hit hard by the emigration of her daughter and grandson, by her illness and by the lack of understanding of others. Yet, she refuses to give up and leave to their fate the students who find in her sympathy and refuge. Moderation and structure tinge the character who is revealed by the look in her eyes, the tone of voice, the gestures, the silences, her gait. The young actress Miriel Cejas as the substitute teacher who becomes increasingly committed to her students manages to transmit the changes in her character with expressive sobriety. Silvia Águila is convincing in her role as a social worker, who strictly carries out regulations and ordinances but who has doubts that make her more human. Yuliet Cruz confirms that she is every inch an actor in her role as Chala’s violent, chaotic, drug-addict mother, who, nevertheless, always shows some trace of love for her son. Armando Miguel Gómez takes on the role of the man who Chala may turn out to be in the future: a hard, sometimes cruel and violent man, in whom, occasionally, there is a flash of goodness. Hector Noas magnifies his brief role as an immigrant from the eastern provinces in search of a chance of survival, which could make for the subject of another film. However, despite the excellent performances of these experienced actors from film, television and theater, the children are the ones who steal the show. They “live” their roles with astonishing naturalness, especially Armando Valdés, who failed his first casting and was chosen at the last minute, and who gave his unforgettable Chala the harshness and the tenderness, the early maturity and the boyishness required by his character. The deft direction of experienced actors and of children with no previous acting experience confirm Ernesto Daranas as one of the great filmmakers of Cuban cinema today. Ernesto Daranas, is one of Cuba’s best known film directors, whose film The Broken Gods, 2009 (Los dioses rotos) won widespread critical acclaim and several awards. Other moves he has directed include ¿La vida en rosa? (2004), Los últimos gaiteros de La Habana (2004) and most recently Conduct (2014). He is an important Cuban television and radio critic. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 25 PRODUCED BY .COM Enrique Pineda Barnet: A life spent at the movies by Ricardo Alberto Pérez Talking about Enrique Pineda Barnet (Havana, 1933) is more than talking about an eminent film director who also writes prose and poetry, someone who day after day thinks of himself as a beginner in every activity he undertakes. As he welcomes me into his cozy apartment in Vedado, I feel I am in the presence of someone who is going to be eternally young, enjoying absolute spiritual peace and tranquility as a result of having eliminated hatred from his system, as he genially confesses. When you talk to Barnet, even for a few minutes, you cannot help but understand how much of a privilege it is to be listening to this fascinating living memory, capable of captivating us with his ingenious manner of communicating his reminiscences. Without a doubt, his vision has been enriched by many of the events that have been occurring in Cuba over more than seventy years. His childhood took place among politicians (his stepfather was a senator) and he remembers how as a small boy he would sing Cuban political songs to politicians of the ilk of Eduardo Chibás and Carlos Prío. He says that he came into this world with one foot planted in show business; he became fascinated by the cinema at a very early age and would also go to You’ve the theater with his grandmother, attracted by the sensuous aura of these locales. He became hooked on personalities such as Rita Montaner, Toña la Negra, María Cervantes, Myriam Acevedo and her Macorina and on songs, unforgettable melodies that became a vital factor in his life. He was an insatiable consumer of all this that became the raw material for concepts that blossomed without any limits or prejudices and which continue growing even today. He has a spectacular way of directing movies; voraciousness accompanies his remarkable gift of knowing how to make choices. I can imagine him as being constantly sleepless as he mixes up cinematic stories with real life. In adolescence he was unstoppable; at fourteen he was visiting Havana tenement houses where he learned rumba at Yoruba celebrations and Santeria rituals. Those were the days when he danced with Josephine Baker at the Fausto Theater, uninhibited and passionate. What a way to make use of night life! He assimilated it as an element in his metabolism. Everything entered the same way: jazz, piano bars, the dance, and much more. On his blog last August 24, Barnet contributed this self-description: “I love swimming, dancing contents waited Long Enough PAGE 26 PRODUCED BY .COM till I drop, climbing mountains, and if I could fly or levitate, I would be the happiest being in the universe. I don’t want to ride anything on the sea, but I would be flying over it all the time. I don’t like force—energy, yes, that’s something else. Nothing strong; nothing forceful…Not even a loud voice or a forceful gesture, slamming some door or hitting a table, no lightning or strong winds, huge waves or earthquakes, volcanoes, being pummeled by the sea. But I love the sea, fire, wind, earth…” When you get to know and immerse yourself in his films, his short stories and his plays, you can understand that his manner of thinking is very exact and it is constantly bubbling up through the different moments of his creation. One of the principal characteristics of his filmmaking has been to carefully pay attention to all the elements making up every production, almost obsessively overseeing the sound track, the photography and the art direction. His work is strongly connected to the visual arts; it seems that behind each of his films there are one or several paintings. This has been a constant You’ve feature right since his beginnings as a director but most noticed in films such as La Anunciación (2009) and Verde verde (2010). The former revolves around a well-known painting by Antonia Eiriz, giving it a new life in his film. The latter is based on the spirit of Rocio Garcia’s paintings, creating an environment that speaks of the amazing empathy existing between the sensibilities of the two artists. Barnet is a filmmaker whose head is full of literature, the resukt of being such a compulsive reader—from Mark Twain to Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Truman Capote, Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill, Edward Albee, Walt Whitman, Lewis Carroll, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Samuel Beckett, Carson McCullers, Erich Fromm, Thomas Mann and many more. The lengthy list also includes Latin American authors (Ernesto Sabato, Jorge Luis Borges, Vicente Huidobro, Pablo Neruda, Juan Gelman and César Vallejo) and Cubans writers, some of whom were his colleagues and friends, such as Lezama Lima, Virgilio Piñera, Lydia Cabrera, Pablo de la Torriente, Enrique Serpa and Carlos Montenegro. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 27 PRODUCED BY .COM Saturated in knowledge and desire, he directed his first film, Giselle, in 1963 dealing with the mystery of dance from a very personal point of view. This is followed by the relationship with the playwright Virgilio Piñera in Aire Frío (1965) in which he immerses himself in a reflection on what we are. David (1967) marks the beginning of a segment dedicated to the theme of heroism and rebelliousness; it is a hymn to clandestine struggle, powerfully poetic and showing the human dimension of the heroes. In 1975 he directed Mella continuing his journey through history, falling under the spell of that young man’s charisma and capacity for struggle as he led several revolutionary organizations in the 1920s. This cycle closed with an exquisite tribute to the role of women in the underground movements, Aquella larga noche (1979), successfully demystifying the subject. At the beginning of the 1980s, his work underwent a noticeable change of course; his journey inwards found the ideal launch pad in Tiempo de Amar (1981). It was an essentially beautiful film supported by extraordinary photography and the unmatched freshness of a young actress at the time, Lili Renteria. You’ve La bella del Alhambra (1989) is a very special chapter in Enrique Pineda Barnet’s life, adding a good dose of spice to his poetic vision. The film allowed him to evoke eras and characters that he had experienced intensely during his life, to take advantage of the musical film genre and to launch an actress named Beatriz Valdés to stardom. Professionally, this film has given him the greatest joys not the least of which was the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film in 1990. In his two most recent films, La Anunciación (2009) and Verde verde (2010), he brutally reveals the labyrinth of human conduct, vertiginously suggesting hallucinatory moments. This is filmmaking at the apex of his maturity that never gives up exploring for even an instant. His Arca, nariz, y alambre project has involved a wonderful group of artists in an impressive show of his vitality, a way of making experimental cinema that has earned its own space. We have seen the short films First (1997), La Ecuación (2000), Upstairs (2014) and End (2014) as his most ambitious projects in recent years. Now Pineda Barnet tends to be more silent, more parsimonious with language. In his 81st year, this director, winner of the 2006 National Cinema Award, continues to show us that he is one of the most restless creators in Cuba. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 28 PRODUCED BY .COM Havana view photos by Y. Monte Humberto Solás : For the love of Cuba by Juan José González Humberto Solás will always be remembered for Lucía, the 1968 black-and-white drama film about three Lucías set in three different periods—1895, 1932 and the 1960s—winner of the Gold Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival, 1969, and the Golden Globe at the Italian Cinematheque Film Festival (Milan), 1970. But however exceptional this film may be, Solás’s true grand work is Cuban Cinema. To this, he devoted all his energy and life, as did the late Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. If the cinematography of a nation is its filmmakers and their most brilliant movies, then, Solás and Gutiérrez Alea are the foundation of Cuban cinema, to the extent that even today the younger generations of filmmakers are making films in the style of one or the other. Lucía by Solás and Memorias del Subdesarrollo [Memories of Underdevelopment] by Gutiérrez Alea, both magical and mythical films of the 1960s, placed Cuba at the forefront of Latin American cinema. Humberto Solás was born on December 4, 1941 in Havana. A graduate in history from the University of Havana, he started working in 1960 at the newly created Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) directing educational documentaries and shorts. Influenced by Italian realism, he directed the medium-length fiction film Manuela in 1966, which garnered some international success showing Solás great promise as a filmmaker. The unexpected death of Solás in 2008 at age 66, victim of devastating cancer, left both a symbolic and real void in Cubafor for, since 2003, Solás had been the champion of the Cine Pobre Film Festival of Gibara, an alternative competition for low-budget films, which from the very start emphasized the participation of young filmmakers and new technologies, as well as the controversial and sensitive content of the films. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 29 PRODUCED BY .COM He was 26 when he shot his masterpiece Lucía, which was essentially a portrait of the role of women in the history of Cuba in three historical moments: the wars of independence against Spain, the struggle against the dictatorship of Machado and the early years of the Revolution. The last story in Lucía, which was filmed in the town of Gibara, was the portrayal of a woman who is humiliated by her husband. This last story caused quite a stir as the husband represented the mentality that the new revolutionary society wanted to overcome. Lucía marked a new form of filmmaking in Cuba and was considered by critics as one of the ten most important films of Latin American cinema. Women were a constant theme in his work. This led him to film a free version of “Cecilia Valdés,” Cuba’s most important novel of the 19th century. Solás’s four-hour megaproduction of Cecilia eventually became the most ambitious, expensive and controversial project undertaken by ICAIC, and sparked a debate that changed the way films were You’ve later produced in Cuba. His filmography includes Amada (1983), Un hombre de éxito [A Successful Man] (1985) and El Siglo de las Luces [The Age of Enlightenment] (1991). His last two films, Miel para Ochún (2001) and Barrio Cuba (2005), were both shot using digital technology. Now Solás resorted to a straightforward aesthetical approach and dealt with the harsh everyday life in his country. When he created the Low-Budget Film Festival, he aimed to recover Cuba’s film production, which had been seriously affected by the crisis of the 1990s. In an interview shortly before his death, when asked how he would like to be remembered, Humberto Solás replied: “For my love for Cuba, its culture, its image, for the Cuban curiosity of history, for the insatiable spirit of never wanting to be left behind, to always be in the theater of events, never distant.” contents waited Long Enough PAGE 30 PRODUCED BY .COM Juan Carlos Cremata: An irreverent genius by Margaret Atkins “This isn’t my home,” he says as he opens the door of the house on 28th Street in the Nuevo Vedado district in Havana. “My home is the other one,” he tells us. The one that could not resist the effect of time and deterioration; the one that collapsed while he was away and his mother was hanging the washing in the backyard. Luckily no one was hurt. At least, physically. The collapse, however, appears to have left its mark on the heart of the artist. When we ask him to take us to the place in the house where he works, he refuses for a very simple reason: “I do everything in my bed,” he explains. And it is clear to us that such an intimate place is not suitable for public showings. Cremata first greets us at the door, hatless and without glasses. I don’t recognize him immediately. Accustomed as I am to the image he has created for himself, he seems all too human. Then, getting ready for the interview, he dons his hat and glasses. This is the Cremata we are used to seeing. It is no secret that art runs in Cremata’s family. His mother gave birth to three sons and, in each case, labor pains surprised her inside a television studio. The first place that she went after checking out of the maternity hospital was a television studio as well. It was a time when television was booming in Cuba, when shows were done from the heart, You’ve says the filmmaker. “I remember the smell coming out of the crates from the prop department, which was a very important department at the time. It was the smell of all things wonderful.” His mom, who had run a dance academy before the Revolution, became a choreographer for television shows. His dad, who worked for Cubana de Aviación airlines and was killed in the terrorist attack on a Cuban plane off the shores of Barbados in 1976, directed plays at amateur theatrical groups. His aunt was also a famous TV actress who married a no less famous actor, completing the picture of the environment in which Juan Carlos grew up. Television provided him with his first taste of audiovisual creation. He reminisces about his childhood days when he used to sneak in to the matinees without paying or attempt to see films not suitable for under-12s by painting a mustache on his face. It seems almost unbelievable that this man, who raises a flag of irreverence in every sentence, had once conformed to the rigid military life. Yet Cremata was a “Camilito,” a high-school student at the Camilo Cienfuegos Military Academy. Unlike most of his schoolmates, he did not pursue a military career but went on to study at the University of Havana, where he was a history major contents waited Long Enough PAGE 31 PRODUCED BY .COM for two years. The whole time, however, he was waiting for a scholarship to study film directing in the Soviet Union. He had already recognized his true vocation. When “the scholarship never came,” he decided to study theater and playwriting at the University of the Arts. Right after graduation, he enrolled in the newlycreated International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños. “It was like being born again,” he confides, “being there all the time just studying and doing what I liked to do the most: making films.” His graduation thesis Oscuros rinocerontes enjaulados [Dark Caged Rhinoceros] was an experimental short film that earned him, among others, the Grand Prize at the Eisenstein International Film Festival in Wilhelmshaven, Germany in 1992. In 1996, this film became part of the film collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Upon his graduation from the film school, Cremata traveled all over Europe, going from one festival to another. He returned to Cuba for a brief stay before heading off to South America. “I stayed in Chile for two months and then I went to Argentina, where I taught at three different film universities.” There, he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in the United States. “I spent a year in New York creating my own study material, eating different foods from different countries every day, watching six films a day, Broadway shows, visiting museums and galleries… And every morning I’d film something. It was like a sabbatical year for me. New York is special because so many different things You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 32 PRODUCED BY .COM happen there. I could enjoy a performance by the Spanish National Ballet or the aquatic puppet show from Vietnam, or a concert by Pavarotti, or a performance in the middle of the street, which was more interesting than Pavarotti.” No matter how enriching the New York experience was, Cremata needed to make movies in Cuba. As soon as he returned to the island, he began to prepare his first film called Nada [Nothing]. He felt frustrated trying to turn Nada into the first independent Cuban film at a time when filmmaking in Cuba outside ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry) was much more difficult than today. Disappointed with ICAIC, Cremata decided to shoot a film “that would make ICAIC regret not having made it themselves.” He realized that a film with children as protagonists had never been shot in Cuba. That is how Viva Cuba was born. “The film is very Cuban,” he says. “It’s about Cuba, but it’s a French production.” The film attained instant success and went on to win 34 national and international awards. “With Viva Cuba,” he says, “I toured 45 countries. And it marked a kind of reconciliation with ICAIC. It’s a film which I am very grateful for. In fact, I believe that I’m alive thanks to Viva Cuba.” You’ve While in Paris, at the height of Viva Cuba’s success, Cremata suffered a severe bronchopneumonia which brought him to the point of death. “I was making my farewell to this world. But no, I didn’t leave. Looks like the devil looks after his own,” he laughs. Here I am in this kind of bonus track that life has given me every day trying to do more than I can cope with.” “I am an advocate of difference, both in life and in art. That’s why I don’t like to repeat myself. I always say that my job is to open doors and not to close them. Apart from that, life deals unexpected blows you couldn’t even imagine. Like the collapse of my house, or the death of my partner six years ago and having to take care of his daughter; being a parent, all of a sudden, of a little girl who is not only my child but the sunshine of my life. I fear frustration, so I try to live every day to the fullest and feel satisfied with what I do,” he tells us when our conversation is nearing the end. When at last I said goodbye to Juan Carlos Cremata, I had that feeling that I’ve experienced at other interviews, but this time it was particularly strong—a kind of nostalgia caused by the rupture of the fleeting intimacy that unites interviewer and interviewee in the short period of their relationship. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 33 PRODUCED BY .COM Cuba’s International School of Cinema by Victoria Alcalá The creation in 1974 of the Committee of Latin American Filmmakers and the subsequent birth in 1986 of the Havana-based New Latin American Film Foundation (FNCL) are the parents of the International School of Film and Television»— EICTV. At the opening ceremony of this institution, Nobel laureate and president of the FNCL Gabriel García Márquez said that the main objective of the Foundation was to “achieve the integration of Latin American cinema as simple and vast as this is.” Accordingly, EICTV was FNCL’s first major project, made possible thanks to the contribution of the Cuban Government and a number of valuable international contributions. The first graduation took place in 1990 with 50 students from 26 countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. Today, there are 120 students from 36 countries enrolled in the school’s regular courses. So, this dream of training young people in cinematic art came true with a project that was wholeheartedly supported by Fidel Castro. A place where young talented men and women could defend their cultures through image and sound. To this end, the government donated a site in the town of San Antonio de los Baños, which is an hour’s drive away from central Havana and half an hour away from the José Martí International Airport. On December 15, 1986, in the middle of flat ground planted mostly with orange trees, the NGO that is the International Film School, a subsidiary of the New Latin American Cinema Foundation, You’ve was founded and Fernando Birri was appointed its first director. The installation has been gradually fitted out. The students’ living accommodation is situated within the school, which is laid out in campus style. It is possibly the first Latin American and Caribbean institution of an integrationist nature. It offers advanced courses in cinema for people between the ages of 22 and 29 and the fees for the whole 3 years, including accommodation and food, are €15,000, which is only 25% of the actual cost of the student’s training. One of the principal goals of the International School of Film and Television (EICTV) of San Antonio de los Baños is to contribute to the development of the integration of the peoples of the world through cultural propositions that show diversity and inclusion in a space of creative freedom expressed in short films, documentaries, fiction films, television series and soap operas. Its scope includes exchanging creative experiences and collaboration with many film- and televisionrelated institutions. Hundreds of professionals from the film and television industries from different countries have trained several generations of students. Over 700 hundred students have graduated from the school from over 50 countries, many of which have won major awards at international festivals. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 34 PRODUCED BY .COM EICTV is based on the challenge of constantly adapting to new cultural and technological trends under the guiding principle of “learning by doing.” As well as many workshops, the school offers a regular course of three years. The curriculum is divided into three levels: the first level or year introduces students to the world of audiovisual creation showing them how a film and television crew works; the second level includes Fiction Direction, Documentary Direction, Sound, Editing, Cinematography, Screenplay, Television and New Media, and Production, according to the specialty each student will major in; the third level focuses on the preparation of the diploma work. Very early in the course, the students begin to produce films and videos for television. Graduates should be able to develop both their technical and artistic skills with a humanistic approach and sensitivity, work as a team and unite actors and crews towards a cultural product of high demand and significance in the contemporary world. This dream come true ensures the training of many talented people from many parts of the world, who have achieved recognition in their respective countries and in international cinematography. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 35 PRODUCED BY .COM eXtras Nicolás Ordóñez Carrillo is an unassuming Colombian photographer who has been studying and now working with the International School of Film and TV (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. To celebrate the school’s 25th anniversary, he prepared this series, eXtras, which is simply brilliant on so many levels and demonstrates creativity, attention to detail and imagination that go a long way to explain why the school has been so successful. A portrait of Cuba’s A portrait of Cuba’s Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión Review of eXtras By Joel del Río, 2012 Photos by Nicolás Ordóñez Carrillo You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 36 PRODUCED BY .COM To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the International School of Film and TV (EICTV) with images, lights and colors, the Colombian photographer Nicolás Ordóñez Carrillo presents his latest series, eXtras, aimed at throwing the spotlight on some of the institution’s graduates, its esteemed teachers, and, of course, the countless possible universes—imaginary, real, rapturous— that will continue to be forged in the vicinity of the San Tranquilino Farm. Hailing from different countries in the world, heralds illuminated by the flashes of brilliance of the various stages in the school’s 25-year history, the protagonists of these pictures normally work behind the cameras, but this time agreed to being looked at, observed, haloed by Nicolás’s lens, and gladly took on the role of postmodern demiurges on the alert for the recreation of powerful myths in film, television, advertising, audiovisual communication. The countryside that surrounds the school, its facilities and spaces, provided the forum for the settings of these tributes, slightly dissociated from their referents. The filmmakers, graduates of the school, decided to star in mock movies, invented scenes, or similar to others that perhaps were once filmed or shelved in some producer’s office. It’s like putting in a photograph sequences that were shot only in the imagination from references taken out of art history, the media and private—or shared— dreams, by the onlooker and the one looked at. Theory and art history aside, these photographs also illustrate a galaxy of captured crystals, static epiphanies, human attitudes and aspirations that challenge the limits of time and space. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 37 PRODUCED BY .COM NICOLÁS ORDÓÑEZ CARRILLO (Bogotá, 1977) www.niorcano.com He graduated in Literature from the University of the Andes in Colombia and earned a master’s degree in Comparative Literature Theory at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He has worked as a journalist and photographer in the printed media such as The Spectator of Bogota and Soho Magazine. He was a lecturer at the symposium “Sweden and Colombia: The Swedish Heritage in the Work of Leon de Greiff,” Stockholm, Sweden. His paper was published by the University of Stockholm and the University of Umea, Sweden, 2004. He directed the feature documentary Trip Voyeur (Cine Pobre Film Festival, Gibara, Cuba, 2010), and was Director of Photography of the feature film Giraffes by Cuban filmmaker Kiki Álvarez. He took a screenwriting course given by Nobel Prizewinner Gabriel García Márquez. He was jury member for Unpublished Screenplays during the 32nd Latin American Film Festival, Havana, 2011, and selector of the Herralde Prize for You’ve Novel of the Anagrama Publishing House in 2000. Since 2008, he has worked in the Creativity and Photography division of the Department of Culture at the International School of Film and TV (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. His first series of photographs, “Glamour in the Rubble,” was exhibited at Casa Gaia, Havana, in February, 2011. This revision of the fashion of ordinary Cubans was subsequently published in the journal El Malpensante. “eXtras,” his second exhibition of a series of pictures taken in Cuba, opened at La Rampa Theater in December 2011 during the 33rd Latin American Film Festival in Havana. He is currently preparing his third series, “The Book of Trades,” in which a nurse, a carpenter, a blogger, an astronaut—among many other jobs—combine their talents and the daily chores with atmospheres and characters that cannot be ignored. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 38 PRODUCED BY .COM Cine Pobre Cuba’s hippest & retro film festival by Victoria Alcalá You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 39 PRODUCED BY .COM After a two-year break, Cuba’s “poor man’s” film festival is back. Founded by Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solas, the festival is traditionally held in the sleepy fishing village of Gibara that wakes up for a week in April to become a hotbed of alternative, low-budget filmmakers. They may not have Hollywood stars and camera-wielding paparazzi, glamorous red carpet photo shoots and posh after-parties, but if hip and retro is your thing, this is as good as it gets in the Cuban film scene. The cinema festival itself is a young one, not only because of the age of many of the participating filmmakers, but for the general spirit. Former festival director Sergio Benvenuto points out that the event provides an outlet for films that are not handicapped by the conservatism of big studios, nor restricted by the need to secure instant commercial success. This promotes the expression of artistic purpose, which doesn’t originate with how best to market, sponsor and product link films. Authentic, charming and off-the-beaten track, Gibara is a town so obscure even many Cubans struggle to find it on a map. Yet from 2003 to 2011, this picturesque town hosted one of the most authentic and charming events on the independent/alternative film circuit. Alongside the competition that awards prizes for fiction and documentary films, there are also meetings, concerts, recitals and art exhibitions. The festival guarantees a broad range of approaches and topics, aspiring to become an alternative to commercial filmmaking, promoting artistic quality with production costs kept to a minimum. The choice of Gibara as the principal venue has certainly made the organisers job that much harder. The town is a hefty 800-kilometre trek from Havana and an hour’s drive along poor roads from both Holguín (which boasts an international airport) and the pristine beaches of Guardalavaca (home to many all-inclusive resorts). Moreover, Gibara, has no hotel and a limited number of private rooms (which are booked up early for Cine Pobre week). Yet in many ways, this remoteness gives this event its intimate, authentic and unique charm. Limited in the number of films that may be shown, the selection committee spends much of the year deciding on (and sometimes the next year’s selection. Juries selecting the winning films in each category (Fiction & Documentaries) are well- known and respected artists, critics and film directors. While there is a top prize of Euro 15,000 (largely intended to assist in the transition to 35mm), entrants are clearly not here for the money. The town itself was declared a National Monument in 2004 and is near where, allegedly, Christopher Columbus first set foot on Cuban soil. Perfect hosts, it is the fiercely proud Gibararians who provide much of the laid back and friendly ambience that draws visitors, filmmakers, actors, musicians, photographers, critics and artists. So don’t let the remoteness of the location dissuade you, if you’re into cinema festivals, this is the event of the year not to miss! photos by Alex Mene You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 40 PRODUCED BY .COM VISUAL ARTS Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Edificio de Arte Cubano Through January 2015 Bésame mucho Solo exhibition by Eduardo Ponjuán, National Art prizewinner 2013, made up of large paintings and 3-D works that show a novel visual morphology in his career. Regarding the title, Bésame mucho, or Kiss Me a Lot, the artist has said: “I have always liked this bolero by Mexican composer very much for its lyrics…the notion that in face all things transient, fleeting, ephemeral, of the end of things, a simple kiss can make one go on living.” Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam Through Frebuary 6, 20155 Quisiera ser Wifredo Lam…… pero no se va a poder A retrospective of Flavio Garciandía’s work, with over 70 pieces created from 1973 to 2014, now in the hands of private collector and the Cuban State. Drawings, videos, paintings and installations illustrate the different phases of this important artist and teacher. Radical and inquisitive, F. Garciandía has always paid close attention to the latest trends in contemporary visual arts. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 41 PRODUCED BY .COM Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín Alianza Francesa THROUGH DECEMBER 9 Videoplay. Space for audiovisual works oriented toward video creation featuring the works of León Ferrari, Catherine Bay, Baggenstos Rudolf, Adonis Flores, Sabrina Muzi, Elías Adasme, Carlos Mastiel, Regina José Galindo, Francesca Fini and Gruppo Sinestético. THROUGH DECEMBER 7 Maldita circunstancia. Artist Josué Pavel Herrera offers a look into the Cuban character and the relationship of the Cuban people with their island-nation through large-scale landscapes. OPENS DECEMBER 19 Paz es entregarse. Sandra Pérez Lozano, mainly focused on installations, approaches the causes and consequences of repression as a method for educating, indoctrinating and controlling social behavior in human beings. Biblioteca Pública Rubén Martínez Villena THROUGH JANUARY 4 La piel que habla. Solo exhibition by Roberto Diago, who conveys the pain, resistance and selfassertion of Afro-Cuban culture from a minimalistic point of view bordering with abstraction while referring to black skin. Casa de Asia OPENS DECEMBER 23 Universo de rocío. Cuba y Japón unidas en la poesía y la pintura. Around 20 haiku-inspired ink works by Miguel Ángel Anaya. Centro de Negocios Miramar, edificio Jerusalem THROUGHOUT Mí mismo. Solo show by artist DECEMBER Alejandro Barreras. Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura OPENS DECEMBER 12 Casa del Alba Cultural OPENS DECEMBER 11 V+X = ALBA group exhibition by important painters of Cuba’s avant-garde, such as Roberto Fabelo, Alexis Leyva (Kcho) and Eduardo Roca Casa de la Obrapía Cine Charles Chaplin OPENS DECEMBER 4 by Carlos Guzmán who in this exhibition depicts a magical, fantastic world using the medium of acrylic on canvas. OPENS DECEMBER 8 Casa Juan Gualberto Gómez Sí, es expresionismo abstracto. A retrospective of the work of visual artist Yonny Ibáñez Gómez. THROUGH DECEMBER 6 Silencios (Cristo Hoyos). Ofrendas (Bibiana Vélez). Exhibitions by two of the most prestigious Colombian visual artists. You’ve Treinta carteles. First exhibition of Czech film posters. Given its variety regarding authors, aesthetics and styles, it is a journey of sorts through the different periods of this artistic expression in a country that boasts a long history in graphic art. Galería Collage Habana Galería El Reino de Este Mundo. Biblioteca Nacional José Martí THROUGH JANUARY 7 Carteles en concurso. Exhibition of film posters competing in the 36th International Festival of New Latin-American Cinema. Cine La Rampa THROUGHOUT Puntada a puntada rehago el DECEMBER universo. Large-scale works OPENS DECEMBER 5 Bienal de Cerámica. Exhibition of award-winning and competing ceramic sculptures and installations on free themes. Para dónde vamos. Solo exhibition by René Francisco Rodríguez, National Visual Arts Prizewinner in 2010. The artist seems to question man and his time through paintings, videos and installations, whose profuse color has surprised many viewers.. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 42 PRODUCED BY .COM Factoría Habana THROUGHOUT DECEMBER Galería Génesis Miramar La utilidad de la historia. The curatorial project, which includes the participation of Abel Barroso, Celia y Yunior, Arianna Contino, Rigoberto Díaz, Ricardo Elías, Alex Hernández, José Manuel Mesías, Frank Mujica, Fernando Reyna, Lázaro Saavedra and José Ángel Toirac, takes as its starting point the creative processes and historical research that sometimes become artistic events. The project includes works by a group of young artists who prioritize research and the use of documents linked to the final result, as well as artists from the 1980s and 90s, representing the generations that have influenced the newer generations in their Legado. Young artistas Alex Hernández, Aluán Argüelles, Glenda Salazar, Rafael Villares and Rigoberto Díaz exhibit works characterized by the relation with the natural environment, landscape and ecological awareness. THROUGH DECEMBER 20 Galería Latinoamericana. Casa de las Américas DECEMBER 5-JANUARY 19 Ausencias presentes. Solo exhibition by Marta María Pérez Bravo, who, through selfrepresentation, always deals with the deeply-rooted religious systems in Cuba and whose practices, usually hidden to profane eyes, she recreates and documents through photographs and videos. THROUGH DECEMBER 12 La vuelta al cine en 35 carteles. Retrospective of film posters made by designer Rafael Morante whose production is bold, renovated and different. THROUGH JANUARY 25 Heridas-Conexiones. Seventeen works, mostly installations by German artist Günther Uecker, deal with social violence and violence against nature, and to the connections that could mitigate them. Palacio de Lombillo THROUGHOUT Impresiones. Group exhibition of DECEMBER printmaking by artists from the Historia de un harakiri. Group exhibition of Cuban film posters. You’ve La vanguardia: incursiones en el paisaje. Landscape drawings by the avant-garde from the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes collections. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Universal Pabellón Cuba OPENS DECEMBER 5 Nature Boy: Edel Rodríguez en la Casa. First solo exhibition in Cuba by Cuban-American designer Edel Rodríguez. Graphic design and art meet in this show, made up by 40 posters conceived for theater festivals, Broadway shows, operas and films; drawings and original books; and a digital sample of illustrations and covers for different magazines he has worked for, including Time magazine. Museo de Arte Colonial Galería Servando OPENS DECEMBER 11 Silencio. According to Isabel María Pérez Pérez, “The works that make up this series are made up as subtle epigrams of silence. Inscriptions that bear witness to an irreverent, theatrical, insolent silence. They are also likely to be testimonies of the passage of time, of the finite nature of certain chimeras and of the eternal dilemma between indifference and belligerence.” Taller de Gráfica de La Habana. Enfoques. Show by José Manuel Fors and Jorge López Pardo. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 43 PRODUCED BY .COM PHOTOGRAPHY Convento de San Francisco de Asís December-January Oltre la maschera. Show by Italian photographer Alfredo Canatello. Sala de la Diversidad Opens December 12 My Tuscany: requiem. Through 165 shots, the British photographer illustrates the transformation of a small area in Tuscany from a rural paradise of beautiful scenery and medieval citadels to its current image of a degraded environment. Art Pub Throughout December En blanco y negro. Exhibition by Nestor Martí, one of the most interesting Cuban photographers today. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 44 PRODUCED BY .COM DANCE De la misma rama Teatro Mella Dec 6, 8:30pm; Dec 7, 5pm On occasion of its 15th anniversary, the Ecos, Company will premiere De la misma rama, a combination of rhythms, melodies and emotions of traditional and contemporary flamenco with contributions from the music and dance of Cuba, including Yoruba, campesino and popular music. Presentación del Ballet Lizt Alfonso Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional Dec 19 & 20, 7pm New Year’s Eve gala with the performances of dancers from the Lizt Alfonso Vocational Workshops.including Yoruba, campesino and popular music. Programa de concierto del Ballet Nacional de Cuba Teatro Nacional de Cuba. Sala Avellaneda Dec 26 & 27, 8:30pm; Dec 28, 5pm Varied program by the Cuban National Ballet and its principal dancers. Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura Dec 13, 5pm Varied program by the Cuban National Ballet and its principal dancers. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 45 PRODUCED BY .COM MUSIC CONTEMPORARY FUSION Club Habana Party Photo Alex Mene The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht (Wed: Interactivo, Sunday: Déjá-vu) and El Sauce (check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) as well as the newly opened Fábrica de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances inside. In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio and Melem bar—both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues. Adrián Berazaín in Concert December 25, 8:30pm Teatro Mella The popular singer-songwriter, who combines trova with rock and pop, will promote his most recent album, Si te hago canción, in this concert with the performances of several guest musicians, such as David Blanco and Dianela de la Portilla ,who worked with him on this new CD, which reflects a more mature composer and singer. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 46 PRODUCED BY .COM MUSIC CONTEMPORARY FUSION Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional TUESDAYS Fresa y Chocolate La Crema Aceituna Sin Hueso SUNDAYS 5 pm 10 pm WEDNESDAYS Qva Libre Havana Hard Rock 5 pm THURSDAYS Elaín Morales 5 pm Soul Train, a show of soul music SAT & SUN Cover bands 10 pm Café Concert El Sauce THURSDAYS EVERY OTHER FRIDAY Submarino Amarillo Mucho Ruido 10 pm SUNDAYS, SUNDAYS 5 pm La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García 9 pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht WEDNESDAYS Roberto Carcassés and Interactivo Tercera y 8 MONDAYS Los Kents 10 pm Baby Lores 11 pm Club Turf THURSDAYS Café Corner THURSDAYS Tesis de Menta 10:30 pm 10 pm Diablo Tun Tun Jardines del teatro Mella Ruta 11 and guests DEC 12 Djoy 4 PM WEDNESDAYS Karamba, 5 PM Adrián Ernesto Blanco FRIDAYS Gens Berazaín y 5 pm DEC 25 Con100cia 4 pm La Madriguera Piano Bar Habaneciendo TUESDAY Habana Fusión 11 PM Con100cia DEC 18 8:30 PM DEC 27 WEDNESDAY Osaín del Monte 5 pm Pablo Menéndez & Mezcla 5 pm DEC 31 El Prófugo 8:30 pm You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 47 PRODUCED BY .COM Photo by Alex Mene SALSA / TIMBA Casa de la Música Habana Casa de la Música de Miramar WEDNESDAY 11 pm NG La Banda MONDAYS 11 pm THURSDAY 11 pm Charanga Latina TUESDAYS 11 pm Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia WEDNESDAYS 5 pm Juan Guillermo 11 pm Adalberto Alvarez y su Son FRIDAYS 5 pm El Niño y La Verdad 11 pm NG La Banda Piano Bar Tun Tun THURSDAYS 11 pm NG La Banda SATURDAYS 5 pm Manana Club Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional 5 pm Charanga Latina 11 pm Caribe Girls FRIDAYS Sur Caribe Jardines del 1830 FRIDAYS Azúcar Negra 10 pm Tercera y 8 WEDNESDAYS Alain Daniel 11 pm You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 48 PRODUCED BY .COM MUSIC JAZZ Jo Jazz © Adam Bernstein - Will Magid gives it his all at Jazz Plaza 2012 November 19-22, 2014, Havana Although some people still see it as a mere preamble to the International Jazz Plaza Festival, Jo Jazz has been gaining in popularity from that distant day in 1998 when the first festival was held on the initiative of the famous musician Chucho Valdés and other enthusiasts. The ever-increasing numbers of Jo Jazz fans are getting ready to enjoy this competition for young Cuban and international jazz musicians and composers from 16 to 30 years of age. Prizewinners have included musicians who today are popular not only in Cuba but abroad, such as Yasek Manzano, Michel Herrera, Yissy Garcia and Harold López-Nussa. Besides the competition, the event will include workshops organized by experts on the subject, concerts and jam sessions in various places in Havana. However, one of the most exciting thing for jazz lovers seems to be to predict, in situ, the birth of future Cuban jazz stars. Café Jazz Miramar Shows: 11 pm - 2am This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us. Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical DEC 18 6 pm Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto Jazz Cubano. 2 pm Zule Guerra (singer & composer) and Blues D´Havana DEC 2 10 pm Natural Trío DEC 3 UNEAC DEC 11 Café Miramar 10 pm Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés. Orlando Maraca Valle (flutist & composer) DEC 4 10 pm SATURDAY 10 pm You’ve Roberto Carcassés (pianist composer) and his trio & contents waited Long Enough PAGE 49 PRODUCED BY .COM XXX Festival Internacional Jazz Plaza December 17-21 / Theaters and nightclubs in Havana One of Havana’s most famous music events, the Jazz Festival is a display of the link between Cuban rhythm and jazz, which goes back to the late 19th century when newly freed slaves immigrated to New Orleans. Started in 1979 pretty much as a local event at the Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, the festival has grown in size and scope with venues that include several large theatres and nightclubs. International stars such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden, Steve Coleman, Michel Legrand, Ivan Lins and Ronnie Scott are just a few names in the list of past participants, who, together with Cubans Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bobby Carcassés and Ernán López-Nussa, to mention just a few, attract fans from all over the world. More than 35 groups from 18 guest countries have confirmed their participation,: pianist Arturo O’Farrill, the Wayne Wallace Quintet and the Kansas City Jazz Band (US), Anton Doyle (Trinidad and Tobago), the CaboCubaJazz band (Cape Verde), Iba Ibò Yoruba Specimen (France), singer Gryssel Ramírez (Puerto Rico), The Norwegian Big Energy Ensemble (NEBB); and Colombian sax player Justo You’ve Almario, who critics have dubbed as the Latin heir to John Coltrane. The Mella Theater has been chosen for the opening gala which will be directed by bassist Jorge Reyes, who is also the musical director of the event. Reyes plans to take a tour of 30 years of virtuosity of each instrument. Meanwhile, the López-Nussa family will be responsible for the closing gala. The Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, headquarters of the event, will host a varied program and will close each night with the performance of a popular band, such as NG La Banda or Issac Delgado. The Fábrica de Arte Cubano has announced the performances of special guest musicians, and the Alfonso family and Síntesis, who will be in charge of closing each evening with their performance. The Pabellón Cuba has organized performances, jam sessions, master classes, lectures and symposiums. Other venues include Jazz Café Miramar and La Zorra y el Cuervo. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 50 PRODUCED BY .COM MUSIC BOLERO, FOLKLORE, SON & TROVA Conjunto Académico de Canto y Danza Alexandrov December 6, 8:30pm Teatro Nacional. Sala Avellaneda Founded in 1928, the Alexandrov Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Russian Army, will be visiting Cuba for the first time with a an attractive show that includes folkloric and traditional music and dances and religious hymns. Silvio Rodríguez por los barrios Estadio Latinoamericano (parking lot) December 20, 6pm In his last concert around Havana’s neighborhoods this year, Silvio Rodríguez will , be performing along with Jorge Aragón (piano), Jorge Reyes (bass), Oliver Valdés (drums) and Emilio Vega (vibraphone and percussion) You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 51 PRODUCED BY .COM MUSIC BOLERO, FOLKLORE, SON & TROVA Asociación Yoruba de Mañana SATURDAYS Centro Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr. Los Ibellis (Folkloric group) Marta Campos DEC 18 4 pm 4:30 pm Café cantante, Teatro Nacional SATURDAYS El Jelengue de Areíto Arturo Hotman MONDAYS 5 pm Son del Nene 5 pm WEDNESDAYS Trovando, a meeting with good Café Concert El Sauce TUESDAYS 8 pm FRIDAYS Plus Trova with Charly Salgado and guests. Frank Delgado 5 pm trova. THURDAYS Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez 5 pm Rumberos de Cuba FRIDAYS 11 pm 5 pm DEC 4 4 pm DEC 17 3 pm Grupo Rumba Morena, dedicated to Shangó gala Grupo Rumba Morena, dedicated to Babalú Ayé gala 5 pm Hotel Telégrafo Ivette Cepeda. FRIDAYS 9:30 pm Casa del Alba Hurón Azul, UNEAC Trovador Eduardo Sosa DEC 5 Timbalaye SUNDAYS Casa de África SATURDAYS 5 pm Bolero Night 9 pm Peña El Canto de Todos, with Vicente Feliú DEC 25 6 pm Pabellón Cuba Peña Tres Tazas with trovador Silvio Alejandro FRIDAYS 4 pm Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre Get-together with trovador Ireno García. DEC 28 5 pm THURSDAYS Peña with Marta Campos. Peña with trovador Ray Fernández 5 pm 7 pm Biblioteca Nacional José Martí Centro Cultural Habaneciendo SUNDAYS 4 pm Peña Participo with trovador Juan Carlos Pérez Piano Bar Tun Tun (Casa de la Música de Miramar) Casa de la Cultura de Plaza DEC 13 SATURDAY Filin with Fausto Durán and guests DEC 6 Grupo Moncada 6 pm 3pm Casa Memorial Salvador Allende Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht Peña La Juntamenta, with trovador Ángel Quintero. DEC 26 5 pm DEC 27 Rafael Espín e invitados 4 pm Casa de la Música Habana SUNDAYS Yoruba Andabo 5 pm You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 52 PRODUCED BY .COM CLASSICAL MUSIC Photo by Ivan Soca Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís DEC 4 6 pm DEC 6 6 pm DEC 13 6 pm DEC 19 6 pm Pianist Alicia Perea and violinist Alfredo Muñoz along with the Coro Polifónico, directed by Carmen Collado, will interpret works for piano and violin, and chorus, written by Cuban composer Carlos Fariñas, one of the pioneers of the second musical avant-garde in Cuba. Opening concert of the 2014 UNEAC Piano Competition with the performances of guest jurors and the winner of the past competition. The D’Accord duo, (Marita Rodríguez, piano, and Monterrey, clarinet), and Anolan González (viola), will play works by Camille Saint Saëns, Louis Vierne, Henri Busser and Robert Schumann. Pianist José María Vitier has invited Abel Acosta and Abel González (percussion) and soprano Bárbara Llanes to accompany him in performing several of his compositions. Actress Laura de la Uz will be reciting. Biblioteca Nacional José Martí DEC 6 Recital by pianist Víctor García Pelegrín. 4 pm DEC 13 Performance of the Ventus Habana quintet, conducted by Alina Blanco. 4 pm DEC 20 Recital by guitarist Alejandro Acosta. 4 pm DEC 27 Gala performance of the Cuban Music Instituto and the Center for Concert Music. 4 pm You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 53 PRODUCED BY .COM Catedral de La Habana Organist Moisés Santiesteban will play works by Felix Mendelssohn, Moritz Brosig, Paul Hindemith and Gustav Adolf Merkel. DEC 5 7 pm Teatro Martí DEC 6 8:30 pm The Camerata Romeu, conducted by Zenaida Romeu, will premiere tyhe symphonic poem Romanza and the orchestral suite Hemingway, by Bill Lorraine. 2014 UNEAC Piano Competition. DEC 9 8:30 pm DEC 27 8:30 pm Pianist Ernán López-Nussa and his Trío, bassist Gastón Joya and drummer Enrique Pla, among other guests, will play works from the album Sacrilegios, Grand Prix at the 2014 International Cubadisco Fair. Oratorio San Felipe Neri 7 pm Closing concert of the orchestra workshops conducted by the Belgian maestro Ronald Zollman in which the Symphony Orchestra of the University of the Arts will play works by Brahms, Johann Strauss I and II, the latter the author of the famous The Blue Danube . DEC 18 Recital by soprano María Eugenia Barrios accompanied on the piano by Claudia Santana. DEC 11 7 pm Performance of works for chamber ensembles by Czech composers. DEC 20 4 pm Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional SUNDAYS Concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra. 11 pm Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina DEC 28 5 pm Iglesia de Paula DEC 3 7 pm DEC 6 7 pm DEC 8 7 pm DEC 12 7 pm DEC 20 7 pm Choral concert by the Dartmouth College Glee Club, Hanover, New Hampshire, directed by Louis Burkot. The early music ensemble Harmonia del Parnàs will offer the concert Zuipaqui. A Voyage Between Spain and Colonial America. The Harmonia del Parnàs and Ars Longa early music ensembles will interpret sonatas and cantatas from 17th and 18th-century Spanish America Tyhe organist Moisés Santiesteban will give a program with compositions for organ related to Advent and Christmas. The Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble, the Baroque Orchestra of the National School of Music, and the Cantus Firmus social/cultural project have announced the concert Christmas Holidays in Colonial America. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 54 PRODUCED BY .COM THEATRE El tío Vania Argos Teatro / Directed by Carlos Celdrán Fri & Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm, Argos Teatro With the classic of universal theater, Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekhov, Carlos Celdrán aims to dissect today’s Cuban ordinary man, who bears a burden of conflicts, contradictions, anguish, frustrations, lost ideals and disagreements. Rascacielos Teatro El Público / Directed by Jazz Vilá Through Dec 25; Tue/Wed/Thu, 6pm Sala Adolfo Llauradó Rascacielos (Skyscraper), aimed at young audiences, continues playing to packed houses. According to Vilá, coauthor of the play along with Marcos Díaz, “each of the characters is a skyscraper because a person’s limit is their thoughts. There are 11 million skyscrapers in Cuba who grow infinitely.” Under this premise, “four couples linked by the fate of an artist reveal the essence of their emotions,” hidden or explicit violence, the complexities of relationships between people of different ages or sexual preferences, of living together, the lack of communication and intimacy. The Phantom of the Opera Sat & Sun, 9pm, Anfiteatro de La Habana Vieja Alfonso Menéndez celebrates his 30th anniversary in show business with The Phantom of the Opera, the famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Menéndez is responsible for the script, Spanish version and production of the musical. The main roles will be interpreted by Maylú Hernández/ Marla Pileta as Christine; José Luis Pérez/Andrés Sánchez as The Phantom; and Rigoberto López/ Rogelio Rivas as Raoul, who will be accompanied by a cast of young singers, many of whom are newcomers to the stage. Also participating in the production are the Ballet de la Televisión Cubana and the Ballet de Bertha Casañas. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 55 PRODUCED BY .COM MUSICAL THEATER Broadway returns to Havana Opens December 24, 2014, 8:00pm Teatro Bertolt Brecht New production of Rent in Havana Rent, a rock musical based on Puccini’s La Bohème, tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York City’s Lower East End under the shadow of HIV/AIDS Opening on December 24, 2014 at the Bertolt Brecht Theatre in Havana, this Spanish language production,of Rent is being produced by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment in partnership with the Cuban National Council of Performing Arts and will be the first Broadway musical with a full cast, musicians and first-class production elements to be staged in Cuba in over 50 years. Andy Señor, Jr., who will direct a company of 15 Cuban actors is a leading member of Broadway’s Cuban American community. He first starred as “Angel” in Rent on Broadway and later directed productions of the show in numerous places around the world. The Cuba production of Rent will also feature choreography by Marcus Paul James (Rent on Broadway including the 2008 final performance film; Motown: The Musical), musical direction by Emmanuel Schvartzman (On Your Feet), sound design by Michael Catalan, and costume design by Angela Wendt (Rent original production). Thom Schilling is production manager. Gisela Gonzalez, president of the Cuban National Council of Performing Arts, said: “This production will be a paramount step for musical theater in Cuba. We will have the possibility of combining Cuban talent with the long time history of Broadway as a form of art. This collaboration in the field of theater will bring us together and we hope that we are going to come up with an authentic and high quality product that leads us into future joint projects.” Robert Nederlander, Jr. of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment has said that “It has been a great pleasure to work with the Cuban National Council of Performing Arts and their extremely talented artists, musicians and technicians in Havana. We are honored to serve as a bridge between the Cuban cultural and Broadway communities and to bring the best of Broadway to Cuban audiences.” For more information: http://www.nederlanderworld.com/rent-in-havana.aspx You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 56 PRODUCED BY .COM FOR KIDS La Colmenita December 27, 10am Biblioteca Nacional José Martí The National Library has prepared a recreational spot for kids with a show by La Colmenita plus costume party, board games, contests and sale of books and films, among other attractions. Siempre Havana Circo Nacional de Cuba Sat & Sun, 4pm & 7pm Carpa Trompoloco Brand new circus show for the autumn with exciting acts combined with the vernacular humor that the first circuses in Cuba were based on. The kids will love the clowns, the trained animals, the fire-eaters, as well as other highly skilled acts, such as aerial silk, tumbling and trampoline, juggling, acrobatics, and much more. Figuras en el cielo o La historia del niño Samuel Estudio Teatral Alba / Directed by Jorge Alba Fri, Sat & Sun, 3pm Teatro de títeres El Arca In this play written by Margarita Milián, the children are the protagonists of a story that shows how childhood is the period in life in which you can always connect earth and heaven through imagination alone. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 57 PRODUCED BY .COM XVIII Feria Internacional de Artesanía FIART December 6-21 Pabexpo, Havana Held as a way of expressing the identity and cultural diversity of different countries, the International Craft Fair has promoted arts and crafts attracting thousands of visitors each year. Lectures, exhibits, fashion shows, sales and the crafts themselves offer an opportunity for interaction and exchange between artists and the public. In past years, the original treatment of contemporary design has been remarkable in handicrafts, which, without losing their ancestral nature, exhibit an undisputable touch of modernity, whether applied to textiles, fibres, leather, precious and semiprecious stones, metals, clay, or any other material ready to be fashioned and beautified through the sensitivity of craft artists. This edition, which is dedicated to the province of Guantánamo and handmade furniture, returns to the comfortable halls of Pabexpo where around 270 Cuban artisans, along with about 70 exhibitors from 18 countries will exhibit their products. In addition to the usual expo-sale, the event will hold encounters with crafts artists, a meeting with the artisan Carmen Fiol, and panels “The role of artists in the solution of integral projects,” “Furniture: Tradition, design and consumption’ and “Creative groups in the context of graphic productions.” FIART 2014 will open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm from December 6 to 15, at the Morro Cabaña Complex. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 58 PRODUCED BY .COM December 17 Photo by Alexander Mene December 17, Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast of San Lázaro by Victoria Alcalá This is another side of Cuba far away from tropical beaches, vintage cars and Tropicana dancers. The Pilgrimage to Rincón for the feast of San Lázaro every December 17 is a reminder of the fusion of Afro Cuban Santeria with the Catholic Church. This is based on the Lazarus parable in Luke 16:19-31 and combined with Babalú-Ayé, a deity of the Yoruba pantheon. There is an intensity and devotion apparent in many OF the pilgrims, which makes any visit a deeply moving one and gives visitors an insight into this part of the Cuban psyche. In mid-December, come rain or shine or cold weather, the largest religious pilgrimage in Cuba takes place in celebration of the Catholic feast of St. Lazarus. On December 17, thousands upon thousands of people from various parts of Cuba go out of their way to visit the church of the leper colony located in the town of Rincón, about 25 miles south of Havana. Paradoxically, these people do not make the pilgrimage out of devotion to the saint that is recognized by the Catholic Church--Lazarus, resurrected by Jesus Christ and later Bishop of Marseilles, whose skin was cruelly lacerated before being decapitated on December 17, 72 AD—but to a Lazarus who is the result of the curious combination of the sick beggar of the parable in Luke 16:19-31, whose sores were licked by dogs, and Babalú-Ayé, a deity of the Yoruba pantheon, orisha of smallpox, leprosy, venereal diseases and skin, syncretized with the St. Lazarus of the Catholic Church. presides the altar of the church—Lazarus, Bishop of Marseille—whom the pilgrims pay respect to, but to another image situated to the left of the high altar, which the Church considers the same saint, but which popular tradition identifies with the Syncretic Lazarus, the one in crutches accompanied by a dog. This is the “Saint” Lazarus (a result of the diffuse religiosity that characterizes the average Cuban) to whom the faithful make offerings and sacrifices as Because of this unorthodox mix, another curious phenomenon occurs: it is not the image that You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 59 PRODUCED BY .COM a token of gratitude. And because in the collective imaginary “old Lazarus collects his due,” no one dares to break their word. The long journey to Rincón begins on December 15 and 16. Many people use some sort of transportation to go as far as the town of Santiago de Las Vegas and walk a few kilometers to the church; others walk all the way from their homes to the leprosarium. Some come barefooted, or on their knees, or wearing clothes made of jute sack, or towing heavy objects such as large rocks, cement blocks, lead ingots and even cannon balls. Of course, you’ll always find the ones who go there out of curiosity or merchants who set up flash businesses and sell fast foods, beverages, flowers or candles. But what prevails in the majority is gratitude for favors received or the faith that their prayers will be heard. So, after the initial shock one experiences at the many forms of self-punishment, what follows is simple and plain compassion. The old man who drags his feet as he walks along the rough road makes one inevitably assume that he has a seriously ill grandson. The woman that leaves a trail of blood from her knees probably has a child in danger. No wonder when Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998 and expressed his wish to have “an encounter with pain,” the place chosen was Rincón, the lazaretto in Havana that is home to the most serious cases of leprosy and where every December 17 tears, flowers, candles and many other offerings bear witness to the pilgrim’s faith. Leprosy For many Cubans, Rincón is associated with dismal images related to leprosy. The presence in this town of people affected with the illness dates back to 1917 when the hospital, which treated the sick since the 18th century, was transferred to this territory in the outskirts of Havana, and consequently, expanded. Today, leprosy is no longer a health problem in Cuba as the number of people infected with this disease is very small. In 1962, the leprosarium became the Specialist Dermatology Hospital which serves all other skin diseases, such as psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, chronic or acute dermatitis. The few cases of leprosy which have been identified are treated as outpatients. However, when Pope John Paul II asked to have a “meeting with pain” during his recent visit to Cuba, the place chosen was Rincón, where on December 17 the many offerings give witness to the faith of the pilgrim. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 60 PRODUCED BY .COM Parrandas de Remedios: An explosive Christmas December 24 The Parrandas de Remedios takes place on Christmas Eve annually. Although the celebration has also spread to other cities, the singularly beautiful Remedios is the place to be to appreciate this highlight of Cuba’s cultural calendar. On this day, citizens take sides and face off against each other with floats, fireworks and dancing competitions in a highlight of Cuba’s cultural calendar. Authentic, exciting, colorful, loud, don’t expect to get much sleep… You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 61 PRODUCED BY .COM This tradition dates back to the 1820 when a young priest named Francisco Vigil de Quiñones noticed that in the chilly mornings of the last days of the year, his congregations were dwindling. People seemed to prefer to spend time in their warm beds than fill the pews of his church. To persuade them to change their ways, he came up with an ingenuous solution. He got together a group of children and encouraged them to make as much noise as they could. They were instructed to gather horns, tins full of pebbles, maracas, pots and pans, and do whatever was necessary to ensure that everyone would be up for the series of masses beginning on the 16th and ending on the 24th of December. The plan worked. The church soon filled up, and one of the most popular festivities celebrated in Cuba, the Parrandas de Remedios, was set off. By 1835, the tradition had become such a success that a decree was issued by the government forbidding the noisy parade before 4am. A few years later, the cacophony had evolved into an orchestra, with singers, guitars, mandolins, harps, congas, claves and an instrument that was used exclusively in parrandas, the atambora—a small barrel-shaped drum covered with a tanned goat hide. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 62 PRODUCED BY .COM More changes followed over the following 150 years, leading to the present-day assortment of music, art, and firework. The dramatic finale on Christmas Eve is now a wild battle of firework displays, lights and artwork between two huge floats, each representing one half of the town. The parranderos make a tour of the neighborhoods of Remedios, dancing to the sound of polkas and rumbas composed more than a century ago. The competitive character that survives in today’s celebrations goes back to the mid-19th century. The eight neighborhoods into which the town was then divided organized themselves into two rival groups, El Carmen and San Salvador, each with its own musical clan. Today the main event on December 24 still begins with a “rival rumba” between the two clans. This celebration has now extended to nearby cities including Camajuaní, Vueltas, Caibarién, Guayos and Encrucijada, as well as to other towns in central Cuba. But nowhere yet rivals Remedios. Year after year, its inhabitants spend several months making the elaborate floats, homemade rockets, costumes You’ve and all the other paraphernalia connected with the festival. All is done in the strictest secrecy to be revealed only on the opening night of the parrandas. At 10pm on December 24, the church bells begin to ring announcing the start of festivities. The night sky glows with fireworks for several hours. Stunning art works on the plaza are lit, and the floats— the result of many hundreds of hours of labor by carpenters, electricians, designers, dressmakers and whole teams of local workers—begin their triumphal parade. The Carmelitas from the Carmen neighborhood, and the Sansaríes from the San Salvador neighborhood, travel down Remedios’ old streets. In this competition, devoid of judges and juries, everyone’s a winner. At dawn, around the same time those sleepy locals were roused from their sleep two centuries ago, Remedios’ visitors, many wearing hats as a protection against the fireworks, head to their beds. Meanwhile, the residents of El Carmen and San Salvador begin secretly planning next year’s Parrandas. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 63 PRODUCED BY .COM December 24, Bejucal Charangas de Bejucal by Victoria Alcala Picturesque Bejucal founded on May 9, 1714, some twenty kilometers from Havana, will be celebrating its 300th birthday in 2014. Try and make it for this Christmas Eve to enjoy the for the Charangas de Bejucal, which rival the more well-known Parrandas de Remedios for floats, carnival and homemade fireworks. racial and nationality divisions started to fade away. The bands changed their names. Malayos became La Espina de Oro keeping the color red and Musicanga became La Ceiba de Plata symbolized by blue. Music in both bands became definitely Cuban strongly flavored with African roots while the traditional conga sustained the pullas. Back in the day, Bejucal was a prosperous town that eagerly anticipated Christmas celebrations all year. On that day, slave-owners would give their slaves the opportunity to enjoy themselves, sing their songs and even throng to the main square to collect their year-end bonuses. As time went on, many Spanish and white Creoles would also organize their own revelry thereby giving birth to the two opposing bands that have remained today in the Charangas. At first named Malayos (Spanish and white Creoles) identifiable by the color red and the rooster symbol, and Musicanga (slaves and black freemen) symbolized by the scorpion and the color blue, they brought life to the festivities with their own music and dances and especially their “pullas” or mocking allusions to the rival band. The carrozas became more complex, transformed by genius and inventiveness to combine the idea of one single moving vehicle like the floats in the Havana Carnival parade with the exuberant, static Remedios central square structures. But one detail sets them apart: the unveiled “surprises” demonstrating technology that grew more modern with the times, operated by hidden mechanisms in the interior of the shell, moving incredible elements into the air, sometimes up to heights of twenty-five meters. Although it is impossible to attach a starting date—the purported centenary of the Charangas in 1940 was a mere fraud for commercial purposes—the seeds for the subsequently famous Bejucal Charangas are buried in twentieth-century Christmas festivities, which, little by little, began incorporating a veritable arsenal of percussion and wind instruments, dances, tonadas and rustic floats, carrozas, that started out as simple stretchers carried on peoples’ shoulders. With the passing of the years and the advent of Cuban independence aspirations, quite a large number of creoles went over to the Musicanga side as a manner of putting distance between themselves and the Spanish; at the installation of the Republic, You’ve Because of their powerful hold on people, the Charangas have resisted wars, economic crises, shortages and periods of intolerance. They have arrived at our day with their contagious load of joy, music and popular wit. They take place on December 24, 25 and 26, and January 1, attracting thousands of locals and visitors who dance in the streets, have fun with the typical characters La Kulona, La Mojiganga and La Macorina, enjoying typical festive treats, such as roasted suckling-pig sandwiches, tamales, peanut nougat, churros and cotton candy, all supplemented generously with beer and rum. The people lose themselves in the streets following the sound of the congas and go back to their childhood as they catch their breath in amazement to see the “surprises” presented by each of the bands who, at the end of the party, are already getting ready to prepare for the next year’s Charangas. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 64 PRODUCED BY .COM December 25 & 31 Christmas & New Year’s Eve in Cuba by Margaret Atkins December is a special month in Cuba as throughout the Western world. Early in the month, people begin to get ready for the holidays. Homes, shops, hotels, restaurants and other public or private entities are decorated with lights and Christmas trees that survive at least until January 6, when the Three Wise Men of the East come riding on camelback bringing gifts for the children who have behaved well throughout the year. out food and water for the camels. The children followed the custom, just like nowadays, of writing letters specifying their requests and thanking the Wise Men for what they would receive. For most kids, this belief would last throughout their infancy until the rumor that “the Magi are mom and dad” would start to spread. The older kids in the know would then become their parents’ accomplices in hiding this fact from the small ones. The gift-bearing Three Wise Men is a tradition in Spanish Catholicism that is deeply-rooted in Cuba, much more than the super-hyped Santa Claus. Despite the cultural influence of the United States upon the island—particularly strong during the first half of the 20th century and which has remained to this day through music, movies and TV, as well as Xmas ornaments sold around this time of year—the white-bearded and red-suited Santa clearly loses the battle against the Three Kings of the Orient who paid homage and brought gifts to the newborn Christ child in the manger in Bethlehem, a scene that is repeated in every Catholic church in the world around this time of the year. In recent times, however, old jolly St. Nick is increasingly growing in popularity among many Cuban children who receive gifts both on Christmas and on Epiphany to their benefit but at the expense of their parents, who pay the price of this cultural amalgamation that characterizes Cuba. With the radicalization of the Revolution, Cuba officially became an atheist nation in 1962, although the Christmas holiday continued to be celebrated until 1969. The Magi slowly began to be consigned to oblivion as well as the festivities that surrounded the Nativity of Jesus Christ. There was no place for Christmas trees, ornaments or lights. Moreover, Catholic Churches were practically deserted on Christmas Eve during the celebration of Midnight Mass. Prior to 1959 and in the early years of the Revolution, some households followed the custom of cleaning the floor of their homes with a special kind of green-colored sawdust so that the Magi would find everything spic-and-span, and set You’ve Although “Nochebuena” was dropped from the Cuban calendar of holidays in 1969, many families continued to come together on Christmas Eve for the traditional meal of roast pork, rice and black beans, boiled cassava in garlic sauce and a large salad of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, radishes and whatever vegetables could be found at markets. Dinner would be topped off with classical desserts such as buñuelos, a kind of cassava fritter shaped into the form of a number eight and served with anise syrup. In the early 1980s, apples, mostly from Bulgaria and the Soviet Union, could be bought at subsidized prices. The disintegration of the Socialist Bloc brought about an extremely harsh period for the nation and its people during the 90s. Foodstuffs were severely reduced and this, of course, was reflected on the Christmas dinner. contents waited Long Enough PAGE 65 PRODUCED BY .COM The visit of Pope John Paul II was a landmark in the religious openness that was already taking place on the island. In 1997, the government declared Christmas a holiday in honor of the Pope’s upcoming visit in 1998. The following year, December 25 was officially declared as a national holiday. Today, practically everybody in Cuba, whether Christians, atheists, Catholics or believers of Afro-Cuban religions, celebrate Christmas Eve and New Year as a way for reconnecting with family and friends in a usually intimate climate. restaurant or a nightclub in which special dinners are prepared and enjoyed along with a show. Most Cubans, however, continue to prefer to celebrate the New Year at home with pretty much the same dinner as for Christmas, except that chicken or turkey may substitute the omnipresent pork. Diehard Cubans, though, can’t conceive this day without a slice—or two or three—of their favorite In the late 19th century, a number of cultural and recreational associations were created. These “Sociedades” were divided according to the color of the skin. On December 31, these centers would organize balls and dinners allowing the attendance of children on that sole occasion. On that day, and only on that day¸ the Sociedades admitted people of different races, and whites, blacks and mulattos could be seen dancing and reveling together as equals. Many years later, this same spirit of equality and sharing inspired collective dinners in different urban communities, in which food was provided by the neighbors who together welcomed the New Year, congratulating and wishing each other the best in the coming year, and eating 12 grapes as a symbol of each month. In the early years of the Revolution, collective dinners were organized on New Year’s Eve, the most famous being the Giant Dinners at the Plaza de la Revolución. Traditions remain but the way they are celebrated change with the passage of time. Today, many people prefer to celebrate New Year’s Eve at a You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 66 PRODUCED BY .COM meat. Beer, red wine and rum are the favorite drinks, while a sparkling wine is reserved for the toasts at midnight. If there isn’t a party going, then families will sit down in front of the TV to see the special shows, which are mostly musical or humorous. At 12, the official ceremony with the 12-gun salute is broadcast live from the Cabaña Fortress. Many Cubans follow the custom of throwing a bucketful of water out into the street at midnight as a kind of exorcism, in which the bad things from the year gone by are expelled letting in the good things that the New Year may bring. Another custom that has become increasingly popular is walking around the block with a suitcase waving goodbye to their neighbors, in the hope that this farce will actually come true and ensure them a trip abroad. On January 1, the streets are deserted and silent. This day is also the Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution. Almost everyone rests on this day after all the partying the day before, but it is not unusual to hold a party that night because January 2 is also a holiday. If you happen to be visiting Cuba around the Christmas holidays, try to spend Nochebuena or New Year’s Eve with a Cuban family. There you will become acquainted with the warmth and hospitality of the inhabitants of the largest island in the Caribbean. Happy new Year !! You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 67 PRODUCED BY .COM January 1, 1959: Triumph of the Cuban Revolution by Victoria Alcalá New Year’s Day has a special meaning in Cuba since it was on this first day of 1959, Cuba was shaken by a much-awaited news—Fulgencio Batista, who had seized power through a military coup on March 10, 1952, had fled the country in the early hours of the morning, finally convinced that he was unable to resist the determination of the rebels commanded by the young lawyer Fidel Castro, who after becoming strong in the mountains of the province of the then province of Oriente, marched westward. On November 20, 1958, Castro personally led the Battle of Guisa, which marked the beginning of the definitive revolutionary offensive. Columns from the second and third fronts of the Rebel Army were approaching Santiago de Cuba, the most important city in eastern Cuba. The armoured train that the government had sent to reinforce the defence in the belligerent regions was derailed by guerrilla forces led by Ernesto Che Guevara, who would take hold of the city of Santa Clara by the end of December. Around the same time, Camilo Cienfuegos would take control of the city of Yaguajay, also in the centre region of Cuba. The underground resistance movement in the cities had become more intense. There were few Cuban families—from all social classes—who, some way or another, did not have a relative involved in the resistance against the dictatorial government. Thousands of young men You’ve had been tortured or killed, while others had to go underground permanently, had gone to the mountains to fight or were in exile; hence, the outburst of collective joy with the news that Batista and his henchmen had taken flight. I cannot remember any other demonstration of popular joy comparable to the one that took place on that morning (today, I still can’t recall if the day was cold or warm, but radiant it was for sure) in which all the shouting coming from the street, the shots fired into the air, the honking from cars, and the singing got me out of bed. New Year’s Eve had been different, not to say strange. My parents and their friends had not seen in the New Year at a cabaret or nightclub as usual. Only my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents met at my house, where they dined quickly and half-heartedly, while the music that was coming out of the record player was only a pretext to muffle the conversation that was already taking place in whispers. The 12 grapes at midnight were eaten only at the children’s insistence, as we had little inkling—or no inkling at all—as to what was making the family, who was so fond of good food and fine wines, so serious and austere. The rejoicing in the streets also woke up my parents a few minutes before the phone started ringing contents waited Long Enough PAGE 68 PRODUCED BY .COM insistently. “The man has fled,” announced my father, hugging my grandfather. Amidst protests from the entire family, Dad took me with him out onto the street. Never before or since have I been hugged and kissed by so many strangers, who were laughing, crying, singing, running… Every now and then, somebody would make a speech that would be fervently applauded and that would end by singing the national hymn or the then little heard 26th of July March. The streets were suddenly filled with flags, posters and olive green uniforms that appeared in advance of the ones that would be left a few days later, on January 6, under the Christmas tree as a gift to many Cuban children. The times that followed would be magnificent or sad. There would be coincidences and antagonisms, successes and failures. But on that January 1, 1959, a new era in the national history had begun. Cuba was happy. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 69 PRODUCED BY .COM NAZDAROVIE SOVIET STYLE, CUBAN FINESSE by Margaret Atkins I never really knew the Cuba from the days of Soviet support. My first memories of the island belong to a time that is very close to the Great Change, when we were already starting to see that what had at one point been rock-solid was about to fall apart. Nevertheless, my memories do include a lovely apartment in Santa Clara, the home of a couple who had gone to school in the USSR, and which I used to visit frequently at the end of the 1980s. Today, as I walk into the Nazdarovie Restaurant, I feel that I am again being enveloped in a welcoming and sweetly exotic embrace. At the door on the ground floor, a young man wearing a Soviet Navy cap talks to me in Russian and Spanish. I climb the stairs and no sooner have I crossed the threshold, I see a poster over the bar of a Soviet worker who holds out his hand in welcome and the lettering (in Russian of course, but someone kindly translates it for me) says greetings of friendship and peace. On carefully decorated shelves, various Vodka bottles display a variety of brand names and qualities, lovely matrioshkas (those charming little painted dolls that are nestled one inside another, getting smaller and smaller) and a bust of Lenin. At one side of the bar, there are several issues of Sputnik, the Soviet magazine that used to successfully circulate Cuba, a samovar and a bear is pursuing naughty Mashenka from the television. To the right of the bar, the Soviet Room has one entire wall decorated with posters showing Soviet life and events. Lots of arts and crafts objects, black tables, glass and way over there the terrace dominates the Malecón in the late evening. Once night has arrived, I enjoy the gorgeous view of the line of lights that define the end of the city and the start of the dark sea, interrupted here and there by the lights of some small boat. You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 70 PRODUCED BY .COM In the Room of the Czars, one single table for six diners has been set up for an elegant dinner. I chat with Gregory Biniowsky, a Canadian of Ukrainian background who has been living for 23 years in Cuba and says he is the intellectual author of Nazdarovie. With three Cuban partners, his wife Danelys Coz and two old friends, Rolando Almirante and Yociel Marrero, this restaurant was opened just two months ago. The group is brimming with passion and ideas. They would like their business to be a genuine cultural experience, not just a moneymaking proposition. Their staff has been chosen from the huge Slavic community in Havana, people who had arrived during the years when Cuba-Soviet relations flourished and who had established their homes and had their children here. Some of the waitresses I talked with remembered New Year’s Eve dinners in their childhood, with huge tables loaded with cakes baked by the hands of their Soviet mothers who had fallen in love with Cubans and followed them back to Cuba. One of the cooks was born in Russia and came to live here when he was three. One of the barmen is from distant Siberia. All of this provides a typical and authentic setting for visitors. The mission of Nazdarovie and its staff is to make this a place to revive memories of the Soviet Union, for them and for Cubans who spent the best years of their youth in the USSR and who miss those smells and tastes that they never again could experience. Until now, that is. You’ve In the kitchen I chat with Irina. She tells me about how she came to Cuba, her mother’s cooking and her dream of cooking the foods of her homeland, a dream which has at last come true. Everybody speaks Russian except one mulatto cook who has the look of someone born in Uzbekistan. “I can’t speak Russian,” he says, “but my cooking comes out in Russian.” Although when we say “Russian” we are selling it short: the idea here is to make Soviet food that is authentic and delicious and that brings a little from each of the 15 republics that made up the socialist conglomerate. More than its political beliefs and ideology, the USSR left a permanent cultural mark on this Caribbean island. To achieve this goal, the restaurant has a prestigious Cuban-Russian chef who studied at the Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts of Miami, travelled around the world and today stands behind every dish served at Nazdarovie. The menu is dynamic, designed to delight those who are homesick ,and every week a Chef’s Special will be highlighted, to be announced on the restaurant’s website (www.nazdarovie-havana.com). And there will be a file containing all of the Chef’s Specials from past weeks so that diners can request a special meal with their reservation. Nazdarovie also has an admirable ecological mission: in the works are plans to use solar heaters for the water in the kitchen and to process fats. At the present time, their organic waste is being used to feed animals and they use totally organic spices. They respect the ingredients in the original recipes contents waited Long Enough PAGE 71 PRODUCED BY .COM so that Russian diners feel at home. This is the place where one middle-aged Cuban woman broke into tears over her soup because the first spoonful had transported her back to her days as a young student in the cold Soviet winters. As of November, the restaurant is going to start showing the work of visual artists who use and pay tribute to Soviet iconography. By the last week of November, they will initiate a permanent cycle of three special days of discounts for Soviet women living in Cuba, for the Cuban-born sons and daughters of Soviets, and for Cubans who had studied or worked in the USSR (in each case, there will be a special menu at a specific time and the first 20 persons will be seated; more details on the website). And on Fridays and Saturdays, traditional Russian and Ukrainian music will be played by Soviet women who live on the island. Nazdarovie is trying to be more than merely a restaurant. It is well on its way to doing just that. It pays homage to an era and to the people who lived through it. It is an ode to nostalgia and to the joy of acknowledgement and revisiting the past. I raise my glass to that! Better still: I raise my glass with all of you…Nazdarovie! To your health! You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 72 PRODUCED BY .COM Havana’s best places to eat La Guarida El Atelier CA 5 Bella Ciao CA 4+ Café Bohemia CA 5 Café Laurent CA 4+ EXPERIMENTAL FUSION HOMELY ITALIAN CAFÉ SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN Interesting décor, interesting menu. Great service, good prices. A real home from home. Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, salads & juices Attractive penthouse restaurant with breezy terrace. Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025 Calle 19 y 72, Playa (+53) 7-206-1406 Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2090 La California La Casa Casa Miglis El Chanchullero CA CA 5 CA 5 CA 5 5 CUBAN-CREOLE/INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY FUSION SWEDISH-CUBAN FUSION SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN Beautiful C19 colonial building. Great fresh pastas. VIP service. The Robaina family place. Thurs Sushi night. Oasis of good food & taste in Centro Habana Fabulous value hole in the wall tapas. Trendy. Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863 7510 Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-7000 Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486 Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza del Cristo, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-872-8227 Le Chansonnier CA El Cocinero Corte Príncipe CA 4 CA 5 5+ Il Divino CA 4+ CONTEMPORARY FUSION INTERNATIONAL ITALIAN INTERNATIONAL Stylish & contemporary with good food. Expensive. Industrial chic alfresco rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere Sergio’s place. Simple décor, spectacular food. Set in huge gardens outside town. Great for the kids. Calle J #257 e/ Línea y 15, Vedado (+53) 7-832-1576 Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. (+53) 7-832-2355 Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar (+53) 5-255-9091 Calle Raquel, #50 e/ Esperanza y Lindero, Arroyo Naranjo (+53) 7-643-7734 D. Eutimia Esperanza La Fontana La Guarida CA 5+ CA 4+ CA 4 CA 5+ CUBAN/CREOLE CUBAN FUSION INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL Absolutely charming. Excellent Cuban/creole food. Intimate, idiosyncratic & charming (not cheap). Consistently good food, attentive service. Old school. Justifiably famous. Follow in the footsteps of Queen of Spain Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7 861 1332 Calle 16 #105 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-4361 Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-8337 Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-9047 Habana Mia 7 Iván Chef El Litoral Nautilus CA 5 CA 5+ CA 5+ CA 5 INTERNATIONAL GOURMET SPANISH INTERNATIONAL FRENCH/MEDITERRANEAN Endless summer nights. Excellent food and service. Brilliantly creative and rich food. Watch the world go by at the Malecón’s best restaurant. Imaginative, tasty and innovative menu. Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra. Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287 Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-863-9697 Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2201 Calle 84 #1116 e/ 11 y 13. Playa (+53) 5-237-3894 Nazdarovie Opera Otra Manera Río Mar CA 5+ CA 5 CA 5 CA 5 SOVIET INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL Well designed Soviet décor, excellent food & good service. Homely & intimate environment. Quality food. By reservation. Beautiful modern decor. Interesting menu and good service. Contemporary décor. Great sea-view. Good food. Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 5-263-1632 (+53) 8-31-2255 Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7-203-8315 Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Miramar (+53) 7-209-4838 Santy Starbien VIP Havana Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947 San Cristóbal CA 5 CA 5+ CA 5+ CA 5 CUBAN/CREOLE SUSHI/ORIENTAL SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN SPANISH Deservedly popular.Consistently great food. Kitsch décor. Authentic fisherman’s shack servicing world-class sushi. Fabulous food and great service in the heart of Vedado. Jordi’s place. Fabulous modern open-plan space. San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-9109 Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039 Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado (+53) 7-830-0711 Calle 9na #454 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 7-832-0178 You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 73 PRODUCED BY .COM La Guarida CA 5+ CA TOP PICK Style of food Contemporary fusion CostExpensive www.laguarida.com Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy. Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you. Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047 El Litoral CA 5+ CA TOP PICK Style of food International CostExpensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened. Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201 Nazdarovie CA 5+ CA TOP PICK Style of food Soviet CostModerate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes in a classy locale. Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon. Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947 Iván Chef Justo CA 5+ CA TOP PICK Style of food Spanish CostExpensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light and airy place where it always seems to feel like Springtime. Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahimahi served with organic tomato relish. Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro leches. Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540 You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 74 PRODUCED BY .COM La California CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food Cuban-Creole/International CostModerate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Beautiful C19 colonial building. Popular place with quality food and great service. Love the fresh pastas. Dont’t Miss The interesting history of the neighbourhood, where Chano Pozo (legendary Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist) hung out. Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-7510 Casa Miglis CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food Swedish-Cuban fusion CostExpensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana. Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis. The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries. Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486 www.casamiglis.com Habana Mía 7 CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food International gourmet CostModerate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Stylish and fresh décor give a Mediterranean feel for long endless summer nights. Excellent food and service. Don’t miss Watching the world go by on the lovely terrace overlooking the ocean. Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287 www.habanamia7.com Santy CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food Sushi CostModerate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea. World class. Don’t miss Getting a reservation here. Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039 You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 75 PRODUCED BY .COM Atelier CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food Experimental fusion CostExpensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Interesting menu, beautiful building with great décor and service. Don’t miss Dinner on the breezy terrace during summer. Calle 5ta e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025 [email protected] La Casa CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food International/sushi CostExpensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Warm hospitality and openness from the four generations of the Robaina family. Quality food. Don’t miss Thursday night sushi night. The Piña Colada. Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado. (+53) 7-881-7000 [email protected] Otra Manera CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food International CostModerate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Beautiful modern décor and good food. Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet & sour sauce and grilled pineapple Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa (+53) 7-203-8315 [email protected] [email protected] http://www.havanabohemia.com Opera CA 5 CA TOP PICK Style of food International CostModerate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Best for Homely & Intimate enviroment Quality food in a beautiful setting. Don’t miss Fresh pasta, vegetarian dishes and quail. Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 5-263-1632 / (+53) 8-31-2255 You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 76 PRODUCED BY .COM OPERA Best for Homely & Intimate enviroment Quality food in a beautiful setting Don’t miss: Fresh pasta, vegetarian dishes and quail Dinner: 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM Address: Calle 5ta No. 204 e/ E y F. Vedado Lunch by reservation only Tel: 831 2255 Cel: 52631632 Closed on Tuesday [email protected] HM7 invites you to celebrate Christmas Eve and the coming New Year with a first-class Dinner/Concert with the beautiful, magical voice of Luna Manzanares and the virtuosity of Alejandro Falcón. Characterized by the good omens that Christmas brings, you can enjoy good music and the aromas and flavors of our most refined dishes that have been designed just for you. Menu 1 Welcome cocktail: Traditional Cuban Cocktail Breads: Baguette, Roquefort butter and salmon pâté Entrée: Green salad with walnuts, cheese, croutons and salmon Main course: Shoulder of lamb in wild mushroom sauce garnished with roasted potatoes Dessert: White chocolate mousse with strawberries Assorted Christmas candies and nuts Cup of espresso Glass of red wine 30.00 Menu 2 Menu 3 Welcome cocktail: Traditional Cuban Cocktail Breads: Baguette, Roquefort butter and salmon pâté Entrée: Mixed grilled seasonal vegetables in olive oil Main course: Sirloin steak wrapped in Serrano ham on lettuce tempura Dessert: Tiramisú Assorted Christmas candies and nuts Cup of espresso Glass of red wine 35.00 Menu 4 Welcome cocktail: Traditional Cuban Cocktail Breads: Baguette, Roquefort butter and salmon pâté Entrée: Octopus carpaccio in olive oil Main course: Mariscada HM 7 (lobster, octopus, shrimp, blue fish, white fish, clams) Dessert: Lemon tart Assorted Christmas candies and nuts Cup of espresso Glass of white wine 40.00 Welcome cocktail: Traditional Cuban Cocktail Breads: Baguette, Roquefort butter and salmon pâté Entrée: Cream of seasonal vegetables Main course: Turkey filet in port wine Dessert: Turkey filet in port wine Assorted Christmas candies and nuts Cup of espresso Glass of red wine Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra , Vedado / (+53) 7-830-2287 / http://www.habanamia7.com 30.00 La Guarida ‘This remains the island’s best restaurant, combining a sophisticated and hip ambience with solid food preparation’ Cigar Aficionado “The greatest and most magical is La Guarida, so magical that it is tempting to protect it by with holding its address…’ The Guardian Havana’s legendary paladar just got better with the opening of a new cocktail terrace that offers fabulous views, a funky vibe and Havana’s best bartenders. Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana / (+53) 7-866-9047 La California For Quality Food, impeccable service & an intimate ambience Dine in a beautifully restored 19th-century colonial building just one block away from the emblematic Malecón drive and seawall. La California is located on the place where legendary Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo used to hang out. La California now offers a tour of Havana in a Classic Vintage Car plus lunch or dinner. Your chauffeur will pick you up from your hotel or private accommodation and show you around the historical sights of this incredible city for one hour before heading to La California. Calle Crespo No.55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana. Tel (+53) 7 8637510 Superb Cuban-Creole/International menu The offer includes: For reservations, call Welcoming cocktail (+53) 7-863-7510 Bread + surprise extra Chef’s salad California style or Pumpkin Cream topped with parmesan Curry Chicken with apples / traditional Ropa Vieja (shredded meat) / Grilled Fish with fine herbs / Cuban Lamb in red wine & mint tea / Grilled Lobster with sweet potato in caramel & cider (at your choice) Moros y Cristianos (rice and beans) or vegetables Traditional Cuban dessert (flan, sweet potato and rice puddings) Domestic non-alcoholic beverage (water, soda, juice or beer) Price: CUC 38 per person Open daily noon-midnight [email protected] facebook.com/restaurant.lacalifornia Executive Menu Every day from 12:00 m to 3:00pm All for 9.90 MAKAROF Borsh soup or Salianka Pelmieni Blinchiki Liquid or coctail KALASHNIKOF Borsh soup or Salianka Galubzy Blinchiki Liquid or coctail KATIUSHKA Borsh soup or Salianka Katlieta Blinchiki Liquid or coctail PUSHKA Montaditos varios Carne rusa Day dessert Liquid or coctail JACK - 40 Montaditos varios Callos a la madrileña Day dessert Liquid or coctail SPUTNIK Montaditos varios Bistec a lo pobre Day dessert Liquid or coctail Address: Calle 20 No. 503 e/ 5ta y 7ma. Miramar Tel: 202 9188 [email protected] Sloppy Joe’s Havana’s best Bars & Clubs Traditional Bars El Floridita CA 4+ Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Touristy but always full of life. Great cocktails. Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1299 Factoría Plaza Vieja CA 5 Sloppy Joe’s Bar CA 4+ Recently (beautifully) renovated. Full of history. Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’. Microbrewery. Serves ice chilled bong of light locally brewed beer. San Ignacio esq. a Muralla, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-4453 Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-7157 Espacios TaBARish Cervecería CA 5+ ANTIGUO ALMACÉN MADERA Y EL TABACO DE LA Microbrewery located overlooking the restored docks Simply brilliant. Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana Vieja Contemporary Bars El Cocinero CA 5+ Fabulous rooftop setting, great service, cool vibe. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (+53) 7-832-2355 CA 5- Laid back contemporary bar with a real buzz in the back beer-garden. CA 5 A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service. Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma. Contemporary bars/clubs Don Cangrejo CA 4+ Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. CA 4 Über modern and stylish indoor bar/club. Miami style crowd and attitude. Calle 94 #110 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-206-4167 Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837 Other Meliá Sports Bar CA Kpricho 4 Big-screen sports-bar in modern outdoor terrace. Good for sports and live music. Meliá Habana Hotel Ave. 3ra e/ 76 y 80, Miramar (+53) 7-204-8500 Up & Down CA 5 From the team that brought you Sangri-La. Attracting a young party crowd, very popular. Take a coat. Calle 3ra y B, Vedado El Gato Tuerto CA 4+ Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky. El Tocororo CA 5+ X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts, funky young scene. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro) (+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica. deartecubano (+53) 7-202-9188 (+53) 7-836-3031 Fábrica de Arte CA 4+ Expat favorite hangout. Small indoor bar with live music and eclectic clientele. Sangri-La CA 5 For the cool kids. Basement bar/club which gets packed at weekends. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343 Bertolt Brecht CA 5 Think MTV Unplugged. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd. Calle O e/ 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224 Calle 18 e/ 3ra y 5ta, Miramar Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354 Humboldt 52 Fashion Bar Havana Café Bar Madrigal Gay-friendly Cabaret Las Vegas CA 4 Can get dark and smoky but great drag show (11pm) from Divino—one of Cuba’s most accomplished drag acts. Infanta #104 e/ 25 y 27, Vedado. (+53) 7-870-7939 You’ve CA 5 One of the hottest venues for gay nightlife in Havana at present. Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y Hospital, Centro Habana. (+53) 5-330-2989 CA 5 A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show. San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676 CA 4 Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a gathering spot for all types of folks. Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2433 contents waited Long Enough PAGE 83 PRODUCED BY .COM Bertolt Brecht CA 5 CA TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music. Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354 Espacios CA 5- CA TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY BAR Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music. Good turnover of people. Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden. Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921 Sangri-La CA 5+ CA TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUB Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/club. Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 5-264-8343 Don Cangrejo CA 4+ CA TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Love it/hate it – come for the Friday night party Don’t Miss Looking for de see Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837 You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 84 PRODUCED BY .COM Humboldt 52 CA 5 CA TOP PICK GAY FRIENDLY Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hot staff, comfortable setting, and welcoming vibe at Havana’s first full-time, openly-gay bar Don’t Miss The disco ball, a talented opera duo performing Wednesdays and karaoke and drag performances other days of the week Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y Hospital, Centro Habana. (+53) 5-330-2989 Fábrica de Arte CA 5+ CA TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY BAR Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone Don’t Miss Ne pas manquer Les meilleurs musiciens cubains Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro) Fashion Bar Havana CA 5 CA TOP PICK GAY-FRIENDLY Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show. Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676 TaBARish CA 5 CA TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUB Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service. Don’t Miss The homemade Russian soup – just like Matushka makes it. Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma. (+53) 7-202-9188 You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 85 PRODUCED BY .COM Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís Havana’s best live music venues Concert venues Karl Marx Theatre CA 5 World class musicians perform prestigious concerts in Cuba’s best equipped venue. Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar (+53) 7-203-0801 Basílica San CA Francisco de Asís 5 A truly beautiful church, which regularly hosts fabulous classical music concerts. Fábrica de Arte CA 5 X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts inside (small and funky) and outside (large and popular!). Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro) Jazz Café Privé Lounge Sala CovarrubiasCA 5 TEATRO NACIONAL Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s most prestigious venues for a multitude of events. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución. Jazz Café Jazz Miramar CA 4+ Clean, modern and atmospheric. Where Cuba’s best musicians jam and improvise. Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar Salsa/Timba Café Cantante Mi Habana CA 4 Attracts the best Cuban musicians. Recently renovated with an excellent new sound system. Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7-878-4273 Contemporary Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht CA 5 Think MTV Unplugged when musicians play. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354 Trova & traditional Barbaram Pepito’s Bar CA 4+ Some of the best Cuban Nueva Trova musicians perform in this small and intimate environment. CA 5+ Small and intimate lounge club with great acoustics and beautiful decor. Jazz groups play Sunday night. Galerías de Paseo Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado Calle 88A #306 e/ 3ra y 3raA, Miramar (+53) 7-209-2719 Casa de la Música Casa de la Música CA 4 CA 4 CENTRO HABANA MIRAMAR A little rough around the edges but spacious. For better or worse, this is ground zero for the best in Cuban salsa. Smaller and more up-market than its newer twin in Centro Habana. An institution in the Havana salsa scene. Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-8296/4165 Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-204-0447 Don Cangrejo CA 4+ Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837 Gato Tuerto CA 4+ Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky. Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224 Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808 You’ve CA 4 A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, the best jazz players perform here. Somewhat cold atmosphere-wise. El Sauce CA 5- Great outdoor concert venue to hear the best in contemporary & Nueva Trova live in concert. Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa (+53) 7-204-6428 Legendarios de Guajirito CA 5 See Buena Vista Social Club musicians still performing nightly from 9pm. Touristy but fabulous. Zulueta #660 e/ Apodaca y Gloria, Centro Habana (+53) 7-861-7761 La Zorra y el Cuervo CA 5 Intimate and atmospheric, this basement jazz club, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous. Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402 Salón Rosado de la Tropical CA 5 The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Look for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat night and a Sun matinee. Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa Times: varies wildly (+53) 7-203-5322 Teatro de Bellas Artes CA 4+ Small intimate venue inside Cuba’s most prestigious arts museum. Modern. Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja. CA 4+ Salón 1930 ‘Compay Segundo’ Buena Vista Social Club style set in the grand Hotel Nacional. Hotel Nacional Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835-3896 contents waited Long Enough PAGE 86 PRODUCED BY .COM Havana’s Best Hotels Hotel Nacional de Cuba Simply the best… CA Iberostar Parque Central 5+ Santa Isabel CA 5+ Luxurious historic mansion facing Plaza de Armas Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Central CA 5 Beautifully restored colonial house. CA 5 Cuban baroque meets modern minimalist Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-862-4127 Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja Business Hotels Meliá Cohíba Palacio del Marqués... CA 5 Oasis of polished marble and professional calm. Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7- 833-3636 Meliá Habana CA 5 Attractive design & extensive facilities. CA 4 A must for Hemingway aficionados Mercure Sevilla CA 4 Stunning views from the roof garden restaurant. Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja (+53) 7- 860-9529 Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8560 Economical/Budget Hotels Bosque CA 3 On the banks of the Río Almendares. Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa (+53) 7-204-9232 You’ve Deauville CA 3 Lack of pretension, great location. Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-8812 5+ Immensely charming, great value. Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037 Occidental Miramar CA 5 Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-862-8061 CA 4+ Good value, large spacious modern rooms. Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar (+53) 5-204-8500 For a sense of history Ambos Mundos Hostal Valencia CA Terral Wonderful ocean front location. Newly renovated. Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201 Boutique Hotels in Old Havana Florida CA 5+ Stunning view from roof-top pool. Beautiful décor. Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201 Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-6627 Saratoga Conde de Villanueva CA 5 Delightfully small and intimate. For cigar lovers. Mercaderes #202, esq. a Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293 H10 Habana Panorama CA 4+ Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi. Modern. Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3583 Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7 204-0100 Hotel Nacional Riviera CA 5 Eclectic art-deco architecture. Gorgeous gardens. CA 3 Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835 3896 Paseo y Malecón, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4051 Saint John’s Vedado CA 3 Lively disco, tiny quirky pool. Popular. Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-833-3740 CA 3 Good budget option with a bit of a buzz Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4072 contents waited Long Enough PAGE 87 PRODUCED BY .COM Havana’s best private places to stay Cañaveral House For Help reserving any Private Accommodation (Casas Particulares) in Cuba please contact [email protected] Mid range - Casa Particular (B&B) 1932 Carlos in cuba CA 4 CA 5 Gay Friendly BED and Breakfast in Havana Visually stunning, historically fascinating. Welcoming. Calle 2 #505 e/ 23 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-833-1329 (+53) 5-295-4893 [email protected] www.carlosincuba.com Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-6203 Habana CA 5 Beautiful colonial townhouse with great location. Julio y Elsa CA 5 Cluttered bohemian feel. Hospitable. Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-861-0253 Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Habana (+53) 7-861-8027 Artedel Hostal Guanabo Up-scale B&Bs (Boutique hostals) Cañaveral House CA But undoubtedly the most beautiful about private homes in Cuba 5 Vitrales 39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse. com/canaveral.home. html?lang=en CA 5 Hospitable, attractive and reliable boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms. Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607 CA 5+ Ydalgo Martínez Matos’s spacious and contemporary 3-bedroom penthouse is magnificent. CA 5 Beautiful 4 bedroom seafront villa in sleepy Guanabo. Excellent food. Calle I #260 e/ 15 y 17, Vedado (+53) 5-830-8727 Calle 480 #1A04 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Guanabo (+53) 7-799-0004 Habana Vista Suite Havana Apartment rentals Bohemia Hostal CA 5+ Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja. CA 5 Two-storey penthouse b&b with private pool CA 5 Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild garden and great pool. Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado (+34) 677525361 (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456 Casablanca CA 5 Elegant well-equipped villa formerly owned by Fulgencio Batista. Beautiful wild garden. Calle 13 # 51 esq. a N, Vedado (+53) 5-388-7866 Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29 (+53) 5-294-5397 www.havanacasablanca.com CA Michael and María Elena This leafy oasis in western Havana has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms. Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+53) 7-209-0084 CA 5 Elegant 2-bedroom apartment in restored colonial building. Quality loft style décor. Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-829-6524 Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Centro Habana (+53) 5-254-5240 www.casaconcordia.net Luxury Houses You’ve 5+ Beautifully designed and spacious 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish colonial interiors with cheerful, arty accents. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja Habana Vieja (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com Villasol Casa Concordia CA 5 Residencia Mariby CA 5 A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion with 6 rooms decorated with colonial-era lamps, tiles and Louis XV furniture Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559 contents waited Long Enough PAGE 88 PRODUCED BY .COM Artedel Luxury CA 5+ CA TOP PICK 3 BEDROOM PENTHOUSE Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Stylish and contemporary furniture along with a beautiful 360-degree view over Havana Don’t Miss Ydalgo – an impeccable host, discreet or gregarious, as you prefer Calle I #260, e/ 15 and 17, Vedado (+53) 7-830-8727 Bohemia Hostal CA 5+ CA TOP PICK GORGEOUS 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Independent beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja. Don’t Miss Spending time in Havana’s most atmospheric Plaza. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com Cañaveral House CA 5+ CA TOP PICK Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Large elegant villa away from downtown Havana. Great for families or groups of friends. Don’t Miss Basking in the sun as you stretch out on the lawn of the beautifully kept garden. 39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse.com/canaveral.home. html?lang=en Rosa D’Ortega CA 5+ CA TOP PICK BOUTIQUE VILLA Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Large elegant villa away from the bustle of downtown Havana. Gracious hosts, beautiful rooms. Don’t Miss Exploring the off-the-beaten track neighbourhood. Patrocinio #252 esq. a Juan Bruno Zayas, 10 de Octubre (+53) 7-641-43-29 / (+53) 5-263-3302 http://www.larosadeortega.com You’ve contents waited Long Enough PAGE 89 PRODUCED BY .COM
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