Editor's Note:
To order either of these tapes, contact us by email at info@lavavideo.org, by phone 212-243-4804, or by fax 212-243-2007. Our web site, www.latinamericanvideo.org, allows for secure purchases by credit card.

Portrait of a City

Havana Today: Impressions of a City in 16 Chapters   Get Details and Purchasing Info
Cecilia Ricciarelli and Diego Malquori
Documentary   29 minutes   2001
With English subtitles
What is life in Havana for its residents? “An act of love.” “Laughing.” “Defiance of the profile of history.” “A mystical and spiritual city.” “You have to be creative – you have to sacrifice.” “Movement and evolution.” “Nothing is finished, and every day is faced anew.” “Neither paradise nor hell, but complexity – a peculiar, distinctive, revolutionary truth.” Daily life in this multifaceted city, crucible of history and living community, is impossible to describe in a single narrative. And so, Havana Today weaves together a love song to Havana from sixteen juxtaposed fragments that unite to make a whole. Some of the fragments touch on the fantasy and imagination of a life divided between revolutionary struggle and survival. In others, artists, intellectuals, passers-by, and old-time habaneros reveal their relationship to the city. Other fragments are composed of collages of impressionist images that speak for themselves. And still others occupy themselves with the creative process of artists trying to capture Habana’s soul, such as the legendary film director Humberto Solás, shown at work on his latest feature. With a rippling soundtrack and scores of evocative images and testimonies, Havana Today is a sketch of the beauty, struggle, hope, and love of the remarkable people of Havana, Cuba.
Purchase Price: $ 79.95

The Sounds of the African Diaspora

How to Create a Rumba   Get Details and Purchasing Info
Ivan Acosta
Documentary   73 minutes   1999
With English subtitles
Filmed mostly in New York, this documentary focuses on the history of Cuban music and its extention on an international stage. Ethnomusicologists and musicians explain the origins of the most popular Cuban forms, including Charanga, Rumba, Son, Salsa, Nueva Trova and Danzon. The documentary features conversations with contemporary musicians such as Alfredo Valdez Jr, David Oquendo, Chico O'Farrill, Luis Fajardo, Juan Pablo Torres and Israel Cantor, and footage of their performances. Also contains some archival footage of such legendary musicians as Damaso Perez Prado and Benny More.
Purchase Price: $ 150.00

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