An exclusive screening of Severo secreto, an extended visual essay on the life of prominent Cuban exiled writer Severo Sarduy (1937-1993). A novelist, poet, and essayist, Sarduy is widely recognized as the creator of the Neo-Baroque in Latin American literature. The film focuses on Sarduy’s formative years in Cuba, his interest in black culture, performance, ritual, and experimental poetry in the early years of de Cuban Revolution. The documentary is based on in-depth interviews with the writer’s acquaintances, classmates, and literary friends, including his lifelong partner, the French editor François Wahl, who shares his archives and offers testimony of Sarduy’s working method and private universe.
Filmmakers Oneyda González and
Gustavo Pérez (Camagüey, Cuba) delve
into the concept of freedom of expression and how an individual’s educational background, religión, cultural surroundings, gender sexuality, race, and politics all interplay. The documentary Severo secreto was listed as an Official Selection at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana in 2016 and at the Cine Joven in 2017, a year it was also nominated for Premio Fénix de Iberoamérica. It recently received a Special Jury Mention at the 19th Havana Film Festival in New York. It has been listed as an Official Selection at the Amsterdam International Filmmaker Festival (August, 2018), where it has been nominated in the categories of Best Director and Best Foreign Language Documentary.
Seldom has a Cuban non-fiction work of this nature been successful in not producing a victim, but rather, in sculpting the profile of a man whose contradictions and nuances encompassed such a complex life and oeuvre, difficult to explain in one piece.
(“La conjura de la memoria,” Dean Luis Reyes)
The screening will be followed by a Q & A with the filmmakers, moderated by writer Lourdes Gil, CUNY professor of Latin American studies, and director of our Literature Program.
Severo secreto is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Reception to follow.
LA NACIONAL
239 West 14th Street
(between 7th & 8th Aves.), NYC
SPACE IS LIMITED
FREE ADMISSION
PLEASE RSVP at: info@cubanculturalcenter.org
Oneyda González has published Escrito sobre un rostro, a collection of essays on Severo Sarduy, and El guión cinematográfico en Cuba, which includes interviews with scriptwriters, filmmakers, and critics of Cuban cinema. She is the producer and screenwriter for the film Todas iban a ser reinas, 2006. Her project for the documentary Severo secreto has been awarded Premio Cinergía, the Norwegian Fund for Cuban Cinema, and Princeton University’s Friends of the Library Research Grant.
Gustavo Pérez is a poet, documentary maker, and photographer. His film credits include Caidije, La Tejedora, Despertando a Quan Tri, Todas iban a ser reinas, Ave María and Transitando, many of which have been recognized in several international film festivals. He served as jury in the documentary category at the 30th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana. His work has been critiqued in numerous journals in Cuba and abroad.
For a sneak peek of the documentary, click here:
This film is presented with the collaboration of
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