The Swan of Wishes

Shot in Havana and processed at Phil Hoffman's Film Farm, Marcel Beltrán Fernández's Casa de la noche explores those same histories from the point of view of an insider, as a lived experience that is evocatively mirrored through ripped and torn celluloid.

Anolan is a soloist in a string orchestra, lives with her mother and dedicates every minute to his profession; Enmanuel is a peasant resident in the Sierra Maestra who devotes his time to working the land, accompanied by his young son.

Ana lives in a country town, a single mother who is surprised by the sudden death of the head of the family: her father. With the arrival of Ulises, her brother, Ana recounts her life and decides that it is better to leave everything the same as before.

There are countless stories of Cubans reaching their dream destination of Florida as boat refugees. A lesser known route to the United States starts with a flight in a ramshackle plane to Guyana. Then the refugees travel to Colombia where they cross the jungle to arrive in Central America, from where they hope to reach the promised land of America—a hard and dangerous journey. Cuban filmmaker Marcel Beltrán visits them in a refugee camp in Panama, where one of the residents gives him an idea. Many people here have filmed their journey, she says, and these videos tell their real story. These jerky, shocking videos are interspersed with Beltrán’s footage of the camp, tangibly illustrating the difference between the hectic pace of the journey and the insecure life at the reception center.