Cuban Film Makers


Byline Sade Washington

     Estela Bravo and Gloria Rolando are both well known, talented Film Makers in Latin America. They share similarities in their films that deals with the events and aspects involving Cuba. What stood out to me the most between these two film makers is that they had different styles and  alternatives in filming. One had a struggle trying to figure out how is she going to capture the most important places with only one camera man. Where as the other had access to multiple archives, multiple camera men and huge profit behind it.

Estela Bravo was born and raised in Brooklyn ,NY. She graduated from Brooklyn College and received a degree in Sociology. Her husband who at the time, worked in the medical field ,made a proposal to go Cuba for a year for medical school.  After a year living  in Cuba, it transpire into  40 years. The couple worked on a film with DCTV called, "Those who left." This film is about Cubans who left their country to go to the U.S after the Revolution. It includes the inside story of thousands of children sent on their own to the United States. This documentary ends with the events in Havana in 1980 and the effect on the Cuban People. A year later she made a documentary film called
 "Fidel," Having extraordinary footage and commentary,Bravo lets her audience watch an untold story unfold. Juxtaposing the personal life and anecdotal and the historical, Fidel is presented as a powerful and compelling figure through a variety of well known people such as Alice Walker, Muhammad Ali, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and with famous Journalists, Edward R. Murrow and Diane Sawyer.  She received the wonderful opportunity to get the archives and received money to film it. I thought that was  very fascinated and quite interesting that she was able to get the archives without and problems .  I remember her saying during the interview. "I make films to express myself. See what I see, Feel what I feel."

Gloria Rolando had a different alternative and a different  point of view when it came to making her films. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Gloria Rolando's career spans over 35 years at the Cuban national film institute. She also has an independent film-making group, based in Havana . One of her well known films was "My Footsteps in Baragua."  Published in 1996, this film shows the history in Cuba particularly in the West Indian community.   I was astounded by her courage of making this film with very little funds. She had to go to a nonprofit organization so they can distribute funds to her. Having just one camera man, It took her approximately two  years to complete the film.