Jorge Luis Sánchez

Cuban film director. He is one of the founders of the National Federation of Film Clubs of Cuba. Recognized for his vast documentary work, his role as artistic subdirector of the ICAIC Latin American Newsreel and for his work with the ICAIC Young Film Festival, which he chaired for 8 years.

A graduate in Pedagogy, he began his career as an amateur filmmaker at age 18. He was a founder of the National Federation of Film Clubs of Cuba.

In 1981 he began his professional relationship with ICAIC as a camera assistant, later as an assistant director (Baraguá, Clandestinos, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, The Happy Summer of Mrs. Forbes).

In 1987 he organized the Film and Video Workshop of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS), a space that brought together numerous young people who had not been able to direct their works at ICAIC.

Between 1990 and 1991 he worked with Santiago Álvarez on the ICAIC Latin American Newsreel as artistic subdirector. Previously, he had been assistant to Orlando Rojas on Secondary Roles and to Fernando Pérez on Hello Hemingway.

The year 1990 was fundamental in his career, as in addition to participating in the production of ICAIC Latin American Newsreel No. 1987, he directed two of his best documentaries, Where is Casal and El Fanguito.

After completing The Corrosive Shadows of Fidelio Ponce, Still and Zero Conduct, he chaired the organizing committee of the National Exhibitions of New Filmmakers.

Finally, in 2006, he achieved a long-cherished project, a sort of biography of the brilliant Cuban musician Benny Moré in the feature film El Benny, which had resounding public success and numerous international awards.

He has taught at ICAIC and at the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños. His texts on audiovisual issues, especially on documentary, independent cinema, and less recognized creators of ICAIC, have been published and constitute essential reference works in the study of the history of Cuban cinema.

In 2009 he premiered, on the occasion of ICAIC's 50th anniversary, the documentaries Never Will Heresy Be Easy and In Fifty Years. The research he undertook to make the feature film El Benny, resulted in the production of a four-chapter documentary series titled Benny Moré, The Whole Voice of Son, also premiered in 2009.

In 2011 he directs the musical: Hopelessly Together, and in 2015 he returns to a script written by him, whose argument is inspired by historical events linked to the process of formation of the Cuban nation. From this project comes Cuba Libre, his third feature film.

His first feature film El Benny was presented at the Locarno International Film Festival, in August 2006, where its protagonist Renny Arozarena won the Boccalino prize for best lead performance in all sections of the festival.

The film was Cuba's candidate for the Academy Awards. Sánchez is a distant relative of Benny Moré, the protagonist figure of this film. In December 2006, during the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema of Havana, Sánchez received an award for this film.

Searching for Casal (2019) premiered in Cuba during the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema of 2019, this film proposes an approach to the life of modernist poet Julián del Casal, a notable figure in Cuban literature and journalism of the second half of the 19th century.

Filmography

Baraguá (Assistant Director. Feature Film) 1985

The Rivers of Morning (Doc. 5´. Film Clubs) 1985

Clandestinos (Assistant Director. Feature Film) 1986

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings (Assistant Director. Feature Film) 1987

The Happy Summer of Mrs. Forbes (First Assistant Director. Feature Film) 1987

Friends (Fiction 30´. Film Workshop. Hermanos Saíz Association. 16 mm) 1987

Song to Matanzas (Assistant Director. Doc.) 1988

A Piece of Me (Doc. 15´. Film Workshop. Hermanos Saíz Association) 1988

Dialogue (Doc. 10´. Video Betacam. Film Workshop. Hermanos Saíz Association) 1988

Secondary Roles (Assistant Director. Feature Film) 1988

Hello Hemingway (First Assistant Director. Feature Film) 1989

El Habanero (ICAIC Latin American Newsreel No. 1987. 7´) 1990

El Fanguito (Doc. 11´) 1990

Grandchildren and Grandparents (Doc. 13´) 1990

Where is Casal (Doc. 13´) 1990

Adrenaline (Doc. 13´. Co-direction with Lorenzo Regalado) 1991

Cinema and Memory (Doc. 13´) 1992

Madagascar (First Assistant Director. Fiction) 1993

Living and Building (Doc. 10´ Umatic)

Capturing Spaces (Doc. 24´) 1994

Advertising Spots (Venezuela. Betacam) 1995

Skating Havana (Doc. 26´. Video Betacam) 1997

And I Spend My Life (Doc. 38´. Video Betacam) 1997

The Fifth (Making off of the film Little Tropicana. Betacam) 1997

Advertising Spots (Cuba. Betacam) 1998

Worship of the Orishas (Venezuela. Documentary TV series of 20 chapters, Video Betacam. LUCOMPA PRODUCCIONES) 1999

The Corrosive Shadows of Fidelio Ponce, Still (Doc. 41´. Video Betacam) 2000

Zero Conduct (Doc. 13´. Mini DV) 2001

The Golden Camancola Reborn in Summer (Short Fiction 6´. MiniDV) 2003

El Benny (Feature Film. 120´. ICAIC - Coral Capital Entertainment) 2006

In 50 Years (Doc)

Benny Moré; The Whole Voice of Son (Documentary Series) 2009

Hopelessly Together. 2012 (Feature Film).

Cuba Libre. 2015 (Feature Film).
Hopelessly Together drama, 2012. ICAIC-Coral Capital Entertainment
Searching for Casal drama/biopic, 2019 126 min, 35 mm. ICAIC-Coral Capital Entertainment

Awards and Recognition

Friends

Special Award, First Young Film Festival, Havana, 1988.

El Fanguito

Second Coral Award for Best Documentary, 12th Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, 1990.

One of the most significant documentaries of the year, annual selection by Critics, 1990.

Special Mention at the New York Latino Festival, United States, 1990.

Special Prize of the Jury and Special Mention in Photography, National Caracol Contest of UNEAC, Havana, 1991.

Where is Casal

Best Documentary, Best Screenplay and Bearded Caiman Award, 4th Young Film Festival, Havana, 1992.

Best Documentary, Caracol Contest of UNEAC, Havana, 1992.

Capturing Spaces

Special Mention of the Jury, Caracol Contest of UNEAC, Havana, 1995.

Second Award and Photography Award, Plaza Film Festival, Havana, 1995.

The Record in the Cold of the Moon (Screenplay about Julián del Casal)

Mention for Unpublished Screenplay, 20th Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, 1999.

The Corrosive Shadows of Fidelio Ponce, Still

Award from the Cuban Fund for Cultural Assets and National Council of Plastic Arts; Caracol Contest of UNEAC, Havana, 2000.

El Benny

Official Selection. 59th Locarno Film Festival. Switzerland, 2006.

Boccalino Award. Awarded by the independent specialized press to actor Renny Arozarena. 59th Locarno Film Festival. Switzerland, 2006.

Official Selection. II Ibero-American Feature Film Festival, Caracas. Venezuela, 2006.

Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Soundtrack. National Caracol Contest. Havana, 2006.

Official Selection. Palm Spring Film Festival, Los Angeles. United States, 2006.

Best First Feature. 28th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, 2006.

El Mégano Award from the National Federation of Film Clubs of Cuba. 28th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, 2006.

Award from CUBADISCO and the Institute of Music. 28th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, 2006.

Best Soundtrack. Awarded by Radio Progreso. 28th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, 2006.

Cuban Selection for Oscar Awards Nomination. 2007.

Best First Feature. 9th International Film Festival of Santo Domingo. Dominican Republic, 2007.

Best Male Performance to Renny Arozarena. 9th International Film Festival of Santo Domingo. Dominican Republic, 2007.

Popularity Award. 9th International Film Festival of Santo Domingo. Dominican Republic, 2007.

Official Selection. 47th International Film Festival of Cartagena. Colombia, 2007.

Official Selection. 24th International Film Festival of Miami. United States, 2007.

Official Selection. 22nd International Film Festival of Mar del Plata. Argentina, 2007.

Official Selection. 14th International Film Festival of San Diego. United States, 2007.

Official Selection. 19th Rencontres Cinémas d'Amérique Latine of Toulouse. France, 2007.

Official Selection. 8th Havana Film Festival. New York. United States, 2007.

Honorable Mention, 9th Ibero-American Film Festival of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 2007.

Special Award for DVD. Cubadisco. Havana, 2007.

Best Soundtrack. Cubadisco. Havana, 2007.

Best Music Recording. Cubadisco. Havana, 2007.

Official Selection. New York Latino Film Festival. United States, 2007.

Best Actor Award to Renny Arozarena. International Film Festival of Madrid Mósteles. Spain, 2007.

Third audience prize for Best Film. XVI International Film Festival of Paraguay, 2007.

Special Mention. II Latin American Film Festival of Oaxaca, Mexico. 2008.

Best Fiction, International Film Festival of Belize, 2009.

Benny Moré; The Whole Voice of Son

Most significant documentary series of the year, annual selection by Critics, Havana, 2009.

Official Selection. 17th International Film Festival of San Diego, United States, 2007.

Never Will Heresy Be Easy

Special Mention, Caracol Contest, UNEAC, 2009.

Blue Night (Unpublished Screenplay)

Award for Best Unpublished Screenplay, Humberto Solás International Poor Film Festival, 2010.

Recognition

Replica of the Machete Mambí of Generalísimo Máximo Gómez (2017), awarded by the Revolutionary Armed Forces for being a bearer in his work of the most authentic patriotism and commitment to the Revolution.