The Olden Heralds by Luis Alejandro Yero
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the world's largest documentary film festival, has announced the launching of the special online program "EICTV x IDFA: Memories of the Future, Omens of the Past,” celebrating student documentaries from Cuba’s Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV, San Antonio de los Baños, (EICTV).
As film schools all over the world are experiencing a period of great uncertainty, IDFA and EICTV have come together to present works from the globally renowned institution which have been presented in the IDFA Competition for Student Documentary. A total of twelve graduation films reflect the creative energy of the film school that uniquely nurtures the talent of filmmakers at the start of their careers.
The idea for the initiative came from IDFA programmer’s Raúl Niño Zambrano as an act of solidarity with the Cuban film school: "What better way than celebrating their work. We are going to present online the twelve shorts that have gone through the IDFA student competition since that competition was created," he said in a written statement.
The selection comprises a rich and diverse group of cinematic pieces that will inspire and encourage students of film who have had to press pause on the pursuit of their dreams to become creative directors, cinematographers, editors and producers due to Covid-19 restrictions. This is a new generation
I Am by Denise Kelm Soares
The selection comprises a rich and diverse group of cinematic pieces that will inspire and encourage students of film who have had to press pause on the pursuit of their dreams to become creative directors, cinematographers, editors and producers due to Covid-19 restrictions. This is a new generation of filmmakers that are using cinema to help imagine a new future.
The twelve featured short films directed by the young international students from diverse geographical and social backgrounds are:
LA BONITA
(Maria del Mar Rosario, Cuba/Puerto Rico, 2018, 18 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Close-up shots without commentary of often painful cosmetic treatments reveal how heavily women can be burdened by the dictates of beauty.
THE CROSSING
(Otávio Almeida, Cuba, 2019, 14 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
In high-contrast black-and-white footage, accompanied by an expressive soundtrack filled with the sounds of nature, a man struggles through the Sierra Maestra, the mountain range that was the birthplace of the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s.
THE FAREWELL
(Alejandro Alonso Estrella, Cuba, 2014, 25 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A photogenic look at the life of a Cuban former miner who decides to go his own way, in spite of his years.
I AM
(Denise Kelm Soares, Cuba/Brazil, 2017, 12 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
After the death of Fidel Castro, a little girl in Havana causes a media circus with a message written on a large cardboard sign. But what does it actually say?
ICEBERG
(Juliana Gabriela Gomez Castañeda, Cuba, 2015, 27 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
An intimate and lyrical portrait of Teresa, a frail fisherwoman in her sixties living on a small island with her granddaughter Maria.
INERTIA (ALL PANTOGRAPHS GO TO HEAVEN)
(Armando Capó Ramos, Cuba, 2008, 15 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A light, experimental ode to the Cuban Hershey train and its passengers. The various stages of the journey are impressionistically captured in a collage of images.
THE LOAD
(Victor Alexis Guerrero, Cuba, 2015, 25 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A striking, beautifully filmed observation of life aboard a freight train: a microcosm where a group of men are forced to spend a lot of time together.
MOTRIZ
(Celina Escher, Cuba, 2016, 13 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
In her tiny Cuban shop, Maria repairs household appliances and chats to her customers and neighbors about her life and work.
THE OLDEN HERALDS
(Luis Alejandro Yero, Cuba, 2018, 23 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
An elderly couple leading a simple existence in the Cuban countryside watches an old TV set that’s thrusting a new political era into their lives.
THE SIGHT
(Alejandro Pérez, Cuba, 2017, 21 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A circus audience feasts its eyes on a magical show, then suddenly seems to become part of it.The Sight
SWEET SALTY WIND
(Laura Gabay, Switzerland/Cuba, 2019, 20 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Three children wander along the Cuban coast. Here, in their own world, they are free. The sound of the wind and waves is their music, and shells are their toys. As the day slips by, we see a darker aspect to their intimacy and playfulness.
THE TASK
(Rhiannon Stevens O'Sullivan, Australia/Cuba/Brazil, 2013, 21 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
It's a regular workday for an elderly Cuban guard, and there's not much going on until a young filmmaker points her camera at him.
For more information and streaming links visit https://www.idfa.nl/en/selection/133836/eictv-x-idfa-celebrating-student-documentaries
