Tribute to Octavio Cortázar on his 85th birthday

January 19, 2020

The Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC) held a tribute at the Villena Hall of its national headquarters in honor of Cuban filmmaker Octavio Cortázar (1935-2008), on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of his birth.

This tribute to such an important figure in Cuban audiovisuals began with the screening of the documentary "Así comenzó el camino", directed by Cortázar himself, in 1991.

The material was filmed on the occasion of the XXX anniversary of the creation of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) and summarizes the development achieved by that institution up to that moment.

The film highlights the splendor of Cuban cinema in the 1960s of the past century and shows, at the same time, precedents such as "El Parque de Palatino", by Enrique Díaz Quesada; documentaries from Cuba Sono Film, "El Mégano"; and provides information about the Nuestro Tiempo Cultural Society.

Upon concluding the documentary screening, a panel dedicated to his life and work took place, moderated by Luciano Castillo, director of the Cuban Film Library, and composed of filmmakers Lourdes de los Santos and Jorge Luis Sánchez; critic Daniel Céspedes and actor Patricio Wood.

Céspedes commented at the event that Cortázar managed to create materials of his time and remain in it, but the mastery he achieves of Cuban folklore and society makes the viewer continuously return to those old images.

Wood recalled experiences from the shoots and his years of work alongside the renowned filmmaker, and explained that for him he was always an enigmatic director and this increased when he began to know his work.

This is a well-deserved tribute that UNEAC renders to someone who was its vice president, someone who tried to prevent documentary from dying, and that is something that all of us who do it will always be grateful for, he continued.

The meeting concluded with the premiere of the documentary "Dos Cubanos de cine", written and directed by Patricio Wood, in co-production between the ICAIC and UNEAC.