Sergio Giral, the renowned Afro-Cuban filmmaker, passed away last Tuesday, March 12, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 87. He was a pivotal figure in post-revolutionary Cuban cinema, focusing on racial issues and Afro-Cuban culture throughout his career, with notable works such as The Other Francisco / El otro Francisco and Maluala.
Born on January 2, 1937, in Havana to a White Cuban father and an Afro-American mother, Giral spent his formative years in New York until his return during the 1959 revolution. Although he initially pursued engineering, his passion for filmmaking led him to join the newly established Cuban Institute of Film Art and Industry (ICAIC) in 1961, where he produced several short films and documentaries in the sixties and seventies.
Giral's cinematic endeavors predominantly revolved around Caribbean history and Afro-Cuban culture. In 1975, he embarked on his acclaimed trilogy chronicling the history of slavery in Cuba, consisting of The Other Francisco (1975), The Slave Hunter / Rancheador (1976), and Maluala (1979).
The Other Francisco, adapted from Anselmo Suárez y Romero's novel Francisco by Julio García Espinosa, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, and Giral, presents a socio-economic examination of slavery and class conflict by revisiting the narrative of the original book. The movie juxtaposes the idyllic portrayals of plantation existence depicted in Suárez Romero's novel with a candid portrayal of the harsh realities of slavery across the Americas.
Subsequent projects included The Glass Ceiling / Techo de vidrio, a contemporary narrative depicting a female lawyer's battle against government corruption; Plácido, which delved into the story of a mulatto Cuban poet accused of plotting against the Spanish colonial regime in the 19th Century; and María Antonia, an adaptation of a classic play by Cuban playwright Eugenio Hernández, set within the context of the Afro-Cuban spiritual tradition of Santería.
In 1991, Giral relocated to the United States and settled in Miami, where he continued his filmmaking endeavors. Among his notable works during this period is the documentary Chronicle of an Ordinance, released in 2000. One of his more recent projects was a documentary profiling the celebrated Cuban musician Benny Moore, titled Al bárbaro del ritmo.
