Luis Felipe Bernaza

Outstanding filmmaker, writer, poet, and playwright.

Born in 1940 in Santiago de Cuba, in the former province of Oriente.

At the age of 14, he entered the 26 de Julio revolutionary movement, distinguishing himself as a student leader of the Instituto de Santiago de Cuba, where he studied.

He began working at the Instituto Cubana de Arte y Industria Cinematográfica in 1961, as a manager of movie theaters; later he worked as a production assistant and then as a director's assistant. After his debut in 1962 with the short film Saxofón, codirected by Héctor Veitía, he traveled to the Soviet Union to study film direction at the Instituto Superior de Cine de Moscú, until 1967.

Upon his return, he made numerous documentaries, particularly on sports themes, such as Mundial de la dignidad (1974), Golpe por golpe (1975), and Juantorena (1978).

He made various documentaries about music and its performers such as: ¿De dónde son los cantantes? (1976), Ignacio Piñeiro (1977), and Dos trompetas y un trombón (1983). Furthermore, he directed others dedicated to sociological analysis themes such as: El piropo (1978), Pedro Cero por ciento (1980), Hasta la reina Isabel baila el danzón (1991), Mariposas en el andamio (1993), and Estado del tiempo (1994).

His work did not lack historical themes, especially those related to the revolutionary cause, such as Una flor para Camilo (1973) and Cayita, una leyenda (1980).

He made his debut in fictional feature films with the film De tal Pedro tal astilla (1985). In 1989, he returned to the genre with the comedy Vals de La Habana Vieja.

His novels Buscavidas and Buscaguerra received the Premio Nacional de la Crítica Literaria in 1987 and 1988; Buscaguerra also received the Premio Latinoamericano de Novela Rubén Darío in 1988 in Nicaragua. Later he would write Buscamundo, a work that completes that trilogy and culminates with a fourth novel: Los tigres del Detroit.

Upon his death, he left unfinished a book of poems titled Miamierda.

In 1994, he declared himself an independent artist and filmed Estado del tiempo, a testimony about the raft people crisis, awarded by the Organización Católica Cinematográfica (OCIC) at the Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana that year. In 1995 he made a testimonial documentary about Havana's transgender community, Mariposas en el andamio, together with American Margaret Gilpin. The documentary premiered in Miami a year later with overwhelming public success.

Such was the attention it generated that pirated copies of the film proliferated in the city, forcing the filmmakers to file a lawsuit against a group of video stores in Miami. A Miami court ruled in 1999 in favor of Bernaza and Gilpin, imposing severe fines on the offenders.

Bernaza settled in Miami in 1995. At the time of his death, he was about to complete a documentary on the counterfeiting of Cuban tobacco and another on the latest presidential elections in the state of Florida.

He is survived by his wife, actress Ana Viña, and his children, Leonel and Luis Felipe.

Summary / Filmography / Awards / Contact
FILMOGRAPHY
1962
El saxofón (Didactic Note, codirection)
1968
La odisea del General José (Assistant Director. Fiction)
Amor por tres naranjas
1969
Productividad
1970
En busca del azúcar perdido
1972
Escuela en alta mar
Un reportaje sobre el tabaco
1973
Mundial de pesas
Una flor para Camilo
1974
Golpe por golpe
Brigadas sanitarias FMC
Lo bello de otra manera (About women and sport)
Mundial de la dignidad
1975
Mundial de campeones
1976
Azul marino
¿De dónde son los cantantes?
Nosotros
1977
Ignacio Piñeiro
1978
¿Qué dice usted?
Juantorena
Dicho sea de paso o Te estoy cazando
El piropo
1980
El día que Santiago se vistió de verde
Cayita, una leyenda (Doc.)
Pedro cero porciento
1981
A Camilo
Un ramo de flores y una bandera
1982
Los pies sobre la tierra
Tiburón no come tiburón
El señor del cornetín: Arturo Sandoval
1983
Concierto Desconcierto
Médico de campaña
Aquí... y en cualquier parte
Dos trompetas y un trombón
Cuatro mujeres, cuatro autores
1984
La infatigable Santiago
1985
De tal Pedro tal astilla
1987
Médico de todo
1988
Vals de la Habana Vieja (LM. Fiction)
1991
Hasta la reina Isabel baila el danzón
1994
Estado del tiempo
1995
Mariposas en el andamio

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Aquí y en cualquier parte
Critics' Recommendation. Annual Critics' Selection, Havana, Cuba. 1983.
Caracol Award for the relevance of his work during 25 years, on the occasion of the XII World Festival of Youth and Students and the International Year of Youth. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1983
Azul marino
Jury Prize FIPRESCI. International Festival of Documentary Film and Short Film. Leipzig, East Germany. 1976
Card from the Sport Fishing Federation. International Documentary Film Festival. Italy. 1977
Cayita, una leyenda
Caracol Award. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1980.
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1980.
Award for documentary. 26 de Julio Contest of the UPEC. Havana, Cuba. 1980.
First Mention Third World Workshop. International Short Film Festival. Oberhausen, West Germany. 1980.
De tal Pedro tal astilla
Caracol Award for directing. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1986.
Caracol Award for cinematography to Jorge Haydú. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1986.
Acting award to Reinaldo Miravalles; First Mention for youth acting to Nancy González, granted by the Performing Arts Section of the UNEAC. Havana, Cuba. 1986
Girasol Award for Popularity, Opina magazine. Havana, Cuba. 1986
Award for best soundtrack to Tony and Aneiro Taño. Film Festival of Cádiz. Spain. 1987
El piropo
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1978
Estado del tiempo
Mention of the OCIC. 16. International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, Cuba. 1994.
Golpe por golpe
First Prize for Film. José Manuel González Barros Journalism Contest of the UPEC. Havana, Cuba. 1976
Jury Prize of the International Critics at the Days of Films about Sports. International Short Film Festival. Oberhausen, West Germany. 1977
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1977
Award for Best Film. International Sports Film Festival. Saint Vicent, Italy. 1977
Hasta la reina Isabel baila el danzón
First Coral Prize. 13. International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, Cuba. 1991.
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1991.
Award. 26 de Julio Contest of the UPEC. Havana, Cuba. 1992
IMRE Award (Foundation for Independent Video and Film Directors). New York, United States. 1992
Golden Tatú for best film with themes related to the V Centennial. International Film Festival of Bahia. Brazil. 1992
Silver Tatú for best directing. International Film Festival of Bahia. Brazil. 1992
Grand Pitirre Award for best documentary. Cinemafest'93. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1993.
Award for best directing. International Cinema Conference. Bolivia. 1993
Award for best film. International Cinema Conference. Bolivia. 1993.
Ignacio Piñeiro
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1977
Bronze Mikeldi. International Documentary Film Festival of Bilbao. Spain. 1978
Los pies sobre la tierra
Award of the CTC. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1985
Mariposas en el andamio
Award for best documentary. Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Turin, Italy. 1996.
Audience Award. Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Turin, Italy. 1996.
Silver Plaque. Chicago International Film Festival. Chicago, United States. 1996
Médico de todo
Award of the ANAP. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1987.
Mundial de Pesas
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1973
Special Award. Copa Coni Trophy (Italian National Olympic Committee). Festival of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Italy. 1975
Pedro cero por ciento
Third Coral Prize. 3. International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Havana, Cuba. 1981.
Caracol Award for directing. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1982
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection. Havana, Cuba. 1982
Silver Dove Award. International Festival of Documentary Film and Short Film. Leipzig, East Germany. 1982
Special Award of the Festival Director Agrofilm'84. Nitra, Czechoslovakia. 1984
Tiburón no come tiburón / El señor del cornetín: Arturo Sandoval
Caracol Award for editing to Mirita Lores for the body of her work. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1982.
Una llamada para Lucy
Caracol Award. UNEAC Contest. Havana, Cuba. 1991.
Vals de La Habana Vieja
Golden Catalina Award for female acting to Ana Viñas. International Film Festival of Cartagena. Colombia. 1989.
¿De dónde son los cantantes?
One of the most significant films of the year. Annual Critics' Selection, Havana, Cuba. 1977
Selected as the best short film of 1978. Dominican Circle of Film Critics. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 1979
¿Qué dice usted?
Diploma of Honor. International Short Film Festival. Oberhausen, West Germany. 1979.

His cinematographic and television work encompasses approximately 60 films. He has received numerous distinctions at both national and international festivals in countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Colombia, and Czechoslovakia.
He was a guest professor in Mexico and has given lectures in the United States, Moscow, Brazil, Angola, and other countries. He served on the jury at several international film festivals: New York, Leipzig, Brazil, and Cuba. He taught film direction courses in Mexico.

In 1996 he established his residence in the United States, where he died on March 20, 2001.

Reynaldo Rodríguez expressed: Luis Felipe Bernaza was a shrewd, know-it-all, daring Cuban, very sensitive, very connected to his. His capacity to be both inside and outside a reality, living it and seeing it, to better deliver it in artistic work, is very rare and enviable. I leave to the critics the evaluation of his cinema and literature, but I note that, beyond the successes or faults of those works, they expressed a remarkable human feeling, an extraordinary capacity for observation, and we should not forget them. In them pulsed a man with a profoundly Cuban sensibility. I regretted the circumstances of his death, that at the hour of dying he was not here, among us, but I know that it is with us that he is.