The documentary continues, for two years, five Cubans after the historic demonstrations of July 11 and 12, 2021.
Miami, United States. – The documentary The Eternal Night of Cubadirected by filmmaker Jordan Allott, will be part of the 17th edition of the Latin Film Festival of Seattle (SLFF), which It will be held from October 10 to 18.
The official program program includes in its documentary section the title Cuba’s Eternal Night (USA), with main projections in The Beacon Cinema between October 11 and 18, in addition to activities in other headquarters in the region.
According to the disseminated synopsisthe 66 -minute film “follows five Cubans for two thirty years, while fighting with[tra] The repression of the State, the shortage of food and medicines and the largest mass exodus that the island has lived. ”
The film also investigates what has happened in Cuba “from the historical protests of July 11, 2021 and the brutal response of the regime.”
Last April, the director of the documentary, the American Jordan Allott, explained to The new herald The origin and focus of the work: “All of us who participate in the realization feel deeply inspired by the historical protests of July 11, 2021. He wanted to explore not only what motivated thousands of Cubans to take the streets, but also the immediate consequences and long term of the brutal repression of the government.”
The filmmaker added that, throughout the film, they explore “issues such as time, despair, fear and constant tension between patience and urgency, hope and hopelessness” and that the work seeks that the public “immerses itself in their lives and their struggles” to reflect on “the deep political and philosophical issues” with which the protagonists “fight every day.”
The film collects diverse voices – among them the Father Alberto Reyesof the Archdiocese of Camagüey – and experiences that cover from the decision to emigrate to that of staying on the island.
The rest of the interviewees are Emilio Román, father of three young people imprisoned for participating in the 11J protests; The journalist of Cubanet Camila Acostaarrested during the demonstrations and then subjected to home imprisonment; The Methodist Pastor Carlos Raúl Masías and the human rights activist Ariadna Mena Rubio, who requested asylum in the United States.
The journalist and writer Yoe Suárez worked as a field producer in the selection of testimonies and reported the pressures of state security during filming. On the value of the documentary, affirmed: “It is a reminder of how painful life is under a collectivist regime like the one that Cuba lives. Socialism has not solved the problems of Cubans, but has multiplied them in hundreds of thousands of separate families, persecuted and wounded by repression.”
The title of the work alludes to the phrase of Oswaldo Payá “The night will not be eternal,” and dialogues with the perception of the director about the moment the country is experiencing. In Allott’s words: “It is difficult to try to find hope when things seem to be at its worst. Mass migration, government repression, imprisonment, blackouts and food and medicine shortage. Finding hope in Cuba is a challenge.”
The director thus summarizes the meaning of the film: “The Eternal Night of Cuba It is a reminder that, although yes, the sun will always come out tomorrow, but a better Cuba can only be achieved continuing the fight until the sun rises again. ”
