Cuban Film Season for Auckland and Wellington

Si! Cuba!

Cuban Film Season for Auckland and Wellington

Si! Cuba! a season of ten films celebrating forty years of film production in Cuba will be presented

in Auckland and Wellington commencing late next month. The season is the second event in a New

Zealand-Cuba Film Exchange that began in February this year with extensive New Zealand film

programmes in Havana and Matanzas.

"The primary intention of the inaugural New Zealand-Cuba Film Exchange is to increase

understanding between the peoples of the two countries through the medium of film spanning the

last 50 years," says organiser Julie Webb-Pullman. "New Zealand and Cuba are both island

nations with histories of colonisation, and bigger neighbours against whom they frequently

struggle to assert and maintain their independent identities. Despite their small sizes and limited

resources, both countries have created and sustained world-class film industries, producing

international award-winning films, yet maintaining their unique cultural identities."

The Cuban films have been selected by the organisers of the New Zealand Film Festival who will

also assist with the administration of the season. "ICAIC, the Cuba’s film institute, opened their

vaults to us and we have selected ten films to illustrate the strength, diversity and changes that

have taken place in filmmaking during the Castro era," says Film Festival director, Bill Gosden.

"We’ll be showing such classics as the historical epic Lucia to the recent hit Life is to Whistle, a

lyrical drama of life in contemporary Havana.

Si! Cuba! will take place at the Academy, Auckland between September 30 and October 13 and at

the Paramount, Wellington from October 7 to 20. Programme details will be posted on the Film

Festival website from Friday (a list of titles is attached).

Dates

Auckland : Academy Cinema Auckland – September 30 to October 13

Wellington : Paramount Wellington – October 7 to 20

Films : List of films is attached.

Printed programmes available from September 9

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