2/24 and 2/25 at the Franke Institute and Film Studies Center: The State and the Digital
The University of Chicago is pleased to present a two-part series on digital filmmaking in Cuba with invited Cuban filmmakers. Director Esteban Insausti, editor Angélica Salvador, and actress Ania Bu Maure will present their films and discuss how digital technologies are transforming the face of filmmaking in Cuba today.
Thursday, February 24th at the Franke Institute: The Hands and the Angel and They Exist: Screening and Workshop with Cuban Filmmakers Esteban Insausti and Angélica Salvador
Cuban director Esteban Insausti and his editor and collaborator Angélica Salvador present the independent documentary shorts, Las manos y el angel (The Hands and the Angel) and Existen (They Exist).
Insausti made the independent short, The Hands and the Angel (2002), using cameras borrowed from friends and colleagues. The end result is a beautiful homage to Cuban jazz musician, Emiliano Salvador. Merging six different video and sound formats with archival footage, the short’s stunning experimental language provides the visual expression of Salvador’s avant-garde music. In They Exist (2005), Insausti interviews Havana residents considered crazy by most, weaving their moments of lucidity and insight into a moving meditation on contemporary Cuba. This independent documentary combines footage shot on Hi8, Betacam, and mini-DV with 35 mm archival footage.
Friday, February 25 at the Film Studies Center: Long Distance: Special Director’s Preview and Evening with Cuban Filmmakers Esteban Insausti, Angélica Salvador, and Ania Bu Maure
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba entered a long economic crisis designated the “Special Period in Times of Peace” by Fidel Castro. Cubans, especially youth, left the country in vast numbers for the United States and other nations.
In a special director’s preview, Cuban director Esteban Insausti presents his first feature, Larga distancia (Long Distance), an exploration of the emotional impact of this mass exodus on his generation. Based on Insausti’s own experience, Long Distance(2010) tells the story of a woman who on her 35th birthday finds that she has lost all of her friends to this crisis. To console herself, she spends an evening reinventing the best of her past life and friendships. Editor Angélica Salvador and actress Ania Bu Maure will also discuss their work on the film.
For more information, or if you require assistance to participate in these events, visit this series’ blog, or contact Davis Reek at dhreek [at] uchicago [dot] edu.
The Franke Institute: 1100 East 57th Street, Joseph Regenstein Library S-118, Chicago, IL
Film Studies Center: 5811 South Ellis Ave, Cobb Hall 306, Chicago, IL
