Posts tagged ‘Lisanka’
Interview with Greg Klave director Second Annual Cuban Film Festival (CFF) Twin Cities, Minneapolis
While many filmgoers in the Twin Cities look forward to the annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF), taking place in six weeks, there are a few other film festivals upcoming, including the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival and the Italian Film Festival, which both start at the end of March. At the present time, the Second Annual Cuban Film Festival (CFF) is taking place at St. Anthony Main Theatre, for the next five Thursdays (the first screening was last Thursday).
Greg Klave, the festival curator, has brought six Cuban films to the Twin Cities. I wanted to ask Greg a few questions about the Cuban Film Festival, how to get involved, support from the Twin Cities, and why most Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba.
This is the second year of the CFF. How was the turnout last year?
The first year we had a surprising response from the community, with two of the shows sold out and many turned away. Two of the others were close to sell-outs, and the others had a respectable turnout, with over half the theater seats filled. Our discussion groups after the films about the movie and the history of U.S./Cuban relations were also well-attended, and people enjoyed them immensely. We get so much propaganda from (more…)
The second annual Cuban Film Festival has arrived
The Minnesota Cuba Committee’s second annual Cuban Film Festival presents winners from the 2010 Latin American Film Festival in Havana. While the films are notably short on criticism of the Castro regime, they offer a rare glimpse at a nation that’s very near yet dauntingly distant. Screenings are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Anthony Main Theatre. All films are subtitled in English.
“Lisanka” (March 3) is a comic romantic triangle set during the Cuban missile crisis, with a new Russian arrival chasing the avidly sought-after Lisanka, the prettiest girl on the island.
California filmmaker Saul Landau‘s documentary “Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up” (March 10) uses interviews and archival footage to tell the story of the fruitless 40-year U.S. campaign to undermine Fidel Castro.
The tone shifts to fervid melodrama in “Fallen Gods” (March 17), a tragic romance set in the subculture of Havana pimps, prostitutes and transvestites. The film is a modern-day retelling of the legend of Alberto Yarini, the most famous Cuban pimp at the turn of the 20th century, who now is regarded as a symbol of national pride. With its overheated (more…)
