Documentary about Julio García Espinosa travels to Málaga

August 21, 2020

The documentary Portrait of an Artist Forever Adolescent (a history of cinema in Cuba), directed in 2019 by Manuel Herrera, will compete in the 23rd edition of the Málaga Festival, Spain, from August 21-30. This will be its first competition and also its world premiere.

As part of the Official Section of Documentary Feature Films, said film, which is based on the life of filmmaker Julio García Espinosa, an important figure in Cuban culture, reflects on the emergence and development of new cinematography in Cuba following the creation of ICAIC, its successes, struggles, contradictions and confrontations with the dogmatic thinking that, at times, seems to nominate the Cuban political-cultural spectrum.

This production by ICAIC and Spanish production company Mediapro features the moving narration of actor Fernando Hechevarría.

Regarding the documentary, filmmaker Michael Chanan expressed that not all biographies about a filmmaker turn out to be an interesting film. So, the first thing that must be said is that Manuel Herrera's tribute to Julio García Espinosa is a fascinating film in itself.

"It is not only the portrait of an individual, Julio was not just a filmmaker, he was a key figure in the cultural politics of Cuban cinema, and a powerful polemicist. Subtitled A history of cinema in Cuba, the film is also the chronicle of an institution, ICAIC, and of a generation that shares its own narrative," added Chanan.

The Málaga Festival is held every year in the Spanish city that gives its name to the event. For this year the festival has designed a friendly and safe format, focused on the exhibition of films and its competitive sections.