Cuban Cinema

What happened on July 26, 1953?

Fidel Castro led an attack on the Moncada Barracks, marking the start of the revolutionary movement.

What event on December 2, 1956, began the guerrilla war?

The yacht Granma, carrying Fidel Castro and his rebels, landed in eastern Cuba to overthrow Batista.

When did Batista flee Cuba, effectively ending the civil war?

On New Year's Eve, 1958.

What two important cultural institutions were launched in March 1959?

The newspaper "Lunes de Revolución" and the ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art).

How did the Bay of Pigs invasion (April 17-20, 1961) affect Castro's government?

It strengthened Castro's support among Cubans and embarrassed the Kennedy administration.

What international crisis in October 1962 brought the world to the brink of nuclear war?

The Cuban Missile Crisis (referred to in the notes as the "US-Cubry-South music crisis").

What does ICAIC stand for and when was it founded?

Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art), founded on March 24, 1959.

Who founded and ran the ICAIC from 1960-1990?

Alfredo Guevara.

What was the "Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano"?

A weekly newsreel from 1960-1990, featuring 10-minute editions that blended journalism with art.

Who supervised the "Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano"?

Santiago Álvarez.

From January 1965, how did the Noticiero change its approach?

It began blending journalism with art and addressing current events with urgency and solidity.

What is considered the first film shot by a Cuban filmmaker?

El Brujo Desaparecido by José Casasús (1898).

Who were the key entrepreneurs that distributed foreign films and founded Cuba's first film company in the 1910s?

Pablo Santos, Jesús Artiga, and Díaz Quesada.

Why was no national studio system established in Cuba during the silent era?

Due to the overwhelming dominance of Hollywood.

What percentage of Cuban silent films are lost?

Almost 90%.

What is considered Cuba's first sound feature film?

La Serpiente Roja (1937).

What did Ramón Peón co-found in 1938?

He co-founded PECUSA, a film production company.

Who directed The Twelve Chairs (1962) and what was its theme?

Directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea ("Titón"). It was a comedy that used the search for chairs to talk about serious topics like the destruction of private property.

What famous Soviet co-production was planned after Castro's 1963 visit to Khrushchev?

I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba).

Which 1955 film, whose title translates to "The Negative," showed "class disarray"?

El Negocio.

According to Benedict Anderson, what are nations?

Socially constructed "imagined communities."

According to Andrew Higson, what does defining a national cinema do?

It proclaims a single identity and a stable set of meanings, asserting coherence and unity.

What can "Cubanía" (Cuban-ness) be a tool for?

Resistance to neocolonialism.

What does "Crisis Historiography," according to Rick Altman, relate to?

How new technology is socially contextualized.

What theory is associated with Post-colonial Studies in the context of Cuban cinema?

Dependence Theory.

Which Cuban filmmaker, known for Memories of Underdevelopment, is also listed as a co-director of the seminal pre-revolutionary documentary El Mégano?

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.

Who co-founded the Cineclub de La Habana in 1948, which was later joined by figures like Guillermo Cabrera Infante and Tomás Gutiérrez Alea?

Ricardo Vigón and Germán Puig.

Beyond "National Cinema" and "Crisis Historiography," what is the name of the specific Latin American film movement discussed as a key framework in Week 3?

Third Cinema.

What is the Spanish term for "state cinema," used to describe the state-controlled film industry in Cuba after the revolution?

Cine de estado.

What was the name of the film magazine established by Santos & Artigas in 1912, which had a run of 5,000 copies?

Cuba Cinematográfica.

In 1921, what national association was established to challenge the US domination of Cuban movie screens?

The Asociación Nacional de Exhibidores (ANE).

What 1929 production company was set up by Arturo ‘Mussie’ del Barrio, Ramón Peón, and Antonio Perdices, producing two major silent features before shutting down?

BPP Pictures.

Which famous Italian screenwriter and theorist of Neorealism visited Havana in December 1952, influencing young filmmakers like Alea and Almendros?

Cesare Zavattini.

How many total editions of the Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano were produced between 1960 and 1990?

1,490 editions.

What 1965 documentary by Santiago Álvarez is noted for its use of rapid montage and Lena Horne's song "Now!"?

Now! (1965).

Which foreign documentary filmmaker, known for The Bridge, directed Cuba: Pueblo en armas (1961)?

Joris Ivens.