In recent days the presidency of the Cuban Institute of Cinema, circulated and made public a Declaration explaining the reasons why the screening of the movie “Quiero Hacer una Película” was not authorized, a work that had been submitted at the last minute to be part of the non-competitive program of the 17th ICAIC Festival of Young Filmmakers.
The decision, presented at a press conference last March 22, was challenged by the coordinating team of the show, which led to the conclusion of the aforementioned meeting without even addressing the programming and particulars of the event.
According to the Declaration, in the film "a character expresses himself in an unacceptable way about José Martí". The well-known polarization that this topic has generated, especially in social networks, reveals the real dialogue of the film, in which the National Hero is alluded to. Some members of the filmmaking team, including its director, have tried to explain their position; the latter clarifies how "the film is not Marti", but "a love story between two apparently very different young people," and later he said that he felt, leaving the scene, that "attacking him (Martí) was, given the circumstances, the best sign of love".
How can this contradiction be explained? Under what ethical and aesthetic canons is this diatribe understood?
The Hermanos Saíz Association that brings together the young artistic avant-garde of the country, among them, of the audiovisual producers, expresses its disagreement with aesthetic postulates that are detrimental to the identity and national symbols. To make an issue of question, open the mind, cause the most authentic feelings, is not the same as causing offense; as the fresh vision of young people should not be understood as irresponsibility. Responsible art has always been a guarantee of all authentic creation. There are many examples that demystified vision of the heroes in the Cuban audiovisual products, such as (related to the Apostle) the movies Páginas del Diario de José Martí, by José Massip, José Martí: el ojo del canario, by Fernando Perez. Demystifying does not mean insulting.
We confirm our support for the ICAIC Festival of Young Filmmakers, which we have been part of since its first edition and of which we feel proud to contribute when it was hardly a film event promoted from the core of our most audacious and accurate creators. We believe that it is necessary to reformulate the directors-institution dialogue to continue developing an event that transcends the particular vision every year and universalizes the heterogeneous perspectives and the increasingly complex dynamics of the Cuban audiovisual. Events such as El Almacen de la Imagen, in Camagüey, La Cámara Azul, in Holguín, and the Film Critics Meetig are part of this dialogue between the organization of young Cuban writers and artists and the ICAIC that, on the eve of the Third Congress of the AHS, will continue supporting the young filmmakers in the country.
Translation: Liubis Balart