Some years ago, an uncle of mine traveled to Palestine with a group of volunteers. It was a time of fewer videophones, certainly in the region, and the organization involved had requested that they visit the West Bank and simply document what they saw. After a few days, my uncle circulated an email in which he recounted the story of a mechanic who, having refused to leave his home and business, had his tools arbitrarily confiscated by the Israeli army. The tools, the fruits of years of labour and, given their value, effectively irreplaceable, should have provided for him and his family for years to come––an entire livelihood disappeared with the flick of a pen.
Something that’s occasionally forgotten amongst the carnage and statistic of recent events is how relentless the decades of conflict have been on regular Palestinian lives: the daily humiliations enacted on anyone forced to...
Something that’s occasionally forgotten amongst the carnage and statistic of recent events is how relentless the decades of conflict have been on regular Palestinian lives: the daily humiliations enacted on anyone forced to...
- 2/17/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
From the opening title announcing this documentary as a production of cinembargo films, "Great Day in Havana" won over the audience at its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival with its revelations about a city and people that few Americans are intimately familiar with.
A natural for cable, video, fests and limited theatrical engagements where there are audiences for such fare, "Havana" is an unabashed cinematic valentine to the artists and residents of the city, with some pointed commentary about U.S. policy toward the communist country. Structured around a "magical day" with 11 artists, in which the various neighborhoods of the city are illuminated in the process, "Havana" was years in the making and includes liberal use of producer-director Casey Stoll's still photographs in evocative montages.
First-time filmmakers Laurie Ann Schag and Stoll are native Californians who have abundant appreciation for Cuban culture and have visited the country many times. Schag is a multilingual journalist with her own entertainment marketing and production firm, and Stoll has had his photographs of Cuba published in major daily newspapers and exhibited his work in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Havana.
From participants worrying about tourism disrupting the prominence placed on art for art's sake to those who know that for many Cubans "to leave the island is a dream," "Havana" touches on the city's history in the 1990s, including such seemingly divergent trends as a marked rise in prostitution and a society where in general "women are strong." Meanwhile, the Cold War never really ended and the city has "less stimulation," but the arts and artists are encouraged and supported by the populace. The movie does not dig deeply into political issues that have been hashed out much more dramatically in major news events, though art and everyday reality often merge, and the country's depressed economy and unfriendly superpower neighbor are favorite topics.
Among those Havana artists profiled are musician-composer Carlos Alfonso, painter Israel del Monte, sculptor Asela Diaz, actor Jorge Perugorria, singers Ele Valdes and Carlos Varela and performance artist Tania Bruguera. The filmmakers explore Old Havana, the Malecon seawall and lesser-known barrios of the city, while the outstanding soundtrack features musical contributions by Varela, Isaac Delgado, Pablo Milanes, Company Segundo and salsa group Los Van Van, described as a "daily chronicle" of all things Cuban.
GREAT DAY IN HAVANA
cinembargo films
Producer-directors: Laurie Ann Schag, Casey Stoll
Cinematography-sound: Erika Andersen, Abel Chapa, Edward Lucero, Casey Stoll, Rafael Solis, Lauria Ann Schag
Editors: Laurie Ann Schag, Casey Stoll
Narrator: Yareli Arizmendi
Color/stereo
Running time -- 84 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A natural for cable, video, fests and limited theatrical engagements where there are audiences for such fare, "Havana" is an unabashed cinematic valentine to the artists and residents of the city, with some pointed commentary about U.S. policy toward the communist country. Structured around a "magical day" with 11 artists, in which the various neighborhoods of the city are illuminated in the process, "Havana" was years in the making and includes liberal use of producer-director Casey Stoll's still photographs in evocative montages.
First-time filmmakers Laurie Ann Schag and Stoll are native Californians who have abundant appreciation for Cuban culture and have visited the country many times. Schag is a multilingual journalist with her own entertainment marketing and production firm, and Stoll has had his photographs of Cuba published in major daily newspapers and exhibited his work in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Havana.
From participants worrying about tourism disrupting the prominence placed on art for art's sake to those who know that for many Cubans "to leave the island is a dream," "Havana" touches on the city's history in the 1990s, including such seemingly divergent trends as a marked rise in prostitution and a society where in general "women are strong." Meanwhile, the Cold War never really ended and the city has "less stimulation," but the arts and artists are encouraged and supported by the populace. The movie does not dig deeply into political issues that have been hashed out much more dramatically in major news events, though art and everyday reality often merge, and the country's depressed economy and unfriendly superpower neighbor are favorite topics.
Among those Havana artists profiled are musician-composer Carlos Alfonso, painter Israel del Monte, sculptor Asela Diaz, actor Jorge Perugorria, singers Ele Valdes and Carlos Varela and performance artist Tania Bruguera. The filmmakers explore Old Havana, the Malecon seawall and lesser-known barrios of the city, while the outstanding soundtrack features musical contributions by Varela, Isaac Delgado, Pablo Milanes, Company Segundo and salsa group Los Van Van, described as a "daily chronicle" of all things Cuban.
GREAT DAY IN HAVANA
cinembargo films
Producer-directors: Laurie Ann Schag, Casey Stoll
Cinematography-sound: Erika Andersen, Abel Chapa, Edward Lucero, Casey Stoll, Rafael Solis, Lauria Ann Schag
Editors: Laurie Ann Schag, Casey Stoll
Narrator: Yareli Arizmendi
Color/stereo
Running time -- 84 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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