Ferraz’s documentary is a fascinating trip through the making of “one of the most deliriously beautiful films ever made” (L.A. Weekly): Mikhail Kalotosov’s 1964 masterpiece, I Am Cuba. Requiring an unprecedented 14 months of shooting, this first and only Cuban/Soviet co-production ever made was intended as a celebration of Castro’s revolution.

Why then was the film rejected by Cubans and Soviets alike upon its release and shelved for more than 30 years until it was rediscovered and championed in the 1990s by North Americans, including Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola?

Through a combination of breathtaking shots from the original film and interviews with surviving Soviet and Cuban cast and crew members, Ferraz investigates the motives behind the banning of the film. The resulting documentary, I am Cuba, The Siberian Mammoth, provides us with insights into the ideology of the Cold War, the recent history of Cuba, and the great irony of I Am Cuba which only the passage of time has been able to reveal.

Cinema Tropical is proud to release this documentary at the time when Milestone Films is releasing brand-new prints of I Am Cuba to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its discovery.

“Fascinating and intelligent.” - Screen International

“One good movie deserves another … Ferraz assembled his fascinating investigation with generous clips from the movie plus behind-the-scenes footage of the two-year-long production … As Ferraz contacts the various survivors, he brings news of the long-delayed appreciation for their efforts, eliciting some puzzlement, but mostly providing a gratifying emotional payoff for this film.” — Robert Keser, Bright Lights Film Journal

“Documentary ably captures the atmosphere of excitement behind the script by poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Enrique Pinedo Barnet, and the visuals by d.p. Sergei Urusevsky and camera operator Sasha Calzetti …More than a making-of documentary, I Am Cuba, the Siberian Mammoth focuses on a delirious time during the Cold War when Russian director Mikhail Kalatosov (The Cranes Are Flying) and crew shot an epic celebration of Castro's revolution.” — Deborah Young, Variety

Two-week engagement!
Film Forum

Tuesday, September 27, 7:45pm

The Cinema Tropical Film Series is sponsored by The New York Times and is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency
For more information visit www.cinematropical.com or call (212) 592-3428