Isaura Mendoza

A pioneer in the genre of autobiographical documentaries, this film made by the renowned Cuban director Sara Gómez explores her family roots to offer a family portrait through photos, popular music, and women’s tales. It is also a powerful document of an age and a way of living: that of middle- or upper-class black families in Cuba, meeting in exclusive bars just before the Cuban Revolution.

In this film, Sara Gómez documents the everyday life of the Isla de Pinos, the discussions about the problems of construction, the school and the leisure activities of the youth in 1968 and contextualizes these images with Frantz Fanon's thoughts about the construction of a nation through decolonization.

Legendary rumba musician Alberto Zayas serves as a guide for this vibrant journey through Cuban musical history and culture. The short features interviews, footage of impromptu street performances, and studio recordings.

In Miraflores, Cuba, the growing romance between Mario, a factory worker, and Yolanda, a schoolteacher, throws into relief the differences in their perspectives and values in Revolutionary Cuba.

Teresa is overwhelmed: with a husband, three young sons, a job as a crew leader in a textile factory, and volunteer commitments as cultural leader of her union. Her husband, Ramón, believes her additional pursuits take time away from her domestic tasks and wants more of her attention, accusing her of neglecting him, her house and her family. A hard-hitting Cuban drama that presents a woman struggling for control of her own life and deals with the social consequences of traditional male chauvinism.