Hello,
I have an invitation for you, but first…
Here are some facts about the films that Chris Marker and Agnes Varda made about Cuba:
After returning to Paris from filming in Cuba, as he was about to begin editing, the Bay of Pigs took place. Without any footage of the invasion, Marker opted to include an abstract sequence of crocodiles on the beach to represent the Americans.
When the film was completed, it was censored by the French government as a ‘threat to public order.’ It would be shown in Paris through underground screenings for several years, becoming a cult classic amid the Left Bank scene.
When Agnes Varda was invited to Cuba following Marker, she included a number of oblique references to his film and experience of censorship.
Yet her approach was fundamentally different – there are few scenes with the new government, as she mostly looks to the people, particularly women.
Sara Gómez, one of the first women directors in Cuba and one of the few Black Cubans involved with the film industry, is a major figure in Varda’s film.
(Two of Gómez’s films are available to watch on Mubi now, I’d strongly recommend them).
An extended dance sequence with Gomez prompts Varda to celebrate the combination of ‘socialism and cha-cha-cha’, a phrase which is regularly quoted about the film today.
On Wednesday 19th July, a friend and I are screening the films in London. The event is free and takes place at Hoxton Cabin.
We’ll show an excerpt from the films and I’ll provide some context for them. It will be a night of drinks and talking about the aesthetics of politically-engaged film, the legacy of 20th century socialism and avant garde, propaganda, didacticism and everything else good in the world.
Spaces are limited, so do grab a free ticket:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-documenting-revolutionary-cuba-tickets-661032314447
Hope you’re doing well.
Chris