Cuba, Documentary, 2017
60 min, Color
Spanish with English subtitles

The filmmaker tells us in a whisper: “I return to the hallways inhabited by ghosts” as he also becomes a spectre, condemned to wander through the images of his unfinished movie. As if trapped in a maze, he roams the fields and hallways of an old school turned into dwellings. The citrus plantations that supported the school communities’ work since the ‘70s were polluted by the Citrus tristeza virus. In spite of the ill land, overcrowding and isolation, these spaces were resettled as a government strategy due to the failure of the countryside schools project, which were intended for the New Man formation in Cuba. The vital point was to prevail. The filmmaker is banned from filming at an old school turned into dwellings. Over the years, he decides to remake EL PROYECTO. Exploring into his memory, he puts together a movie about denial, the image impossibility, and the breakup of a social, artistic and personal project.

North American Premiere

Biofilmography

Alejandro Alonso is a Cuban director who graduated from EICTV in 2016. His documentary CRISALIDA received the Best Short Award at Oaxaca FF and New York City SFF in 2013. THE FAREWELL had its premiere at IDFA and won the Best Film award at the Aciertos section in FICUNAM, the Full Frame President Award in USA, received a Special Mention at the 44 Sehsüchte in Germany, and was the Best Documentary at Gibara FF in Cuba. THE PROJECT had its World Premiere at Visions du Reel in Switzerland where it received the FIPRESCI Award.

Credits

Producer: Yamila M. Montero
Production Companies: Crisalida Producciones
Screenwriter: Lisandra Lopez
Cinematographer: Alejandro Alonso
Editor: Emmanuel Peña
Sound Design: Jesus Bermudez
Music: Rafael de Jesus Ramirez Pupo
Cast: Javier Varela, Didier Rivero, Manuel Rojas, Diego Perez

Print Source: Jesus Hernandez, jesus@bach.media