Soy Cuba

A forgotten masterpiece about Cuba

Director Mikhail Kalatozov made Soy Cuba in 1964 as a Russian-Cuban co-production. The film consists of four interwoven stories set in Cuba just before the 1959 revolution. You follow ordinary people: a woman ashamed of her work, an old farmer who loses his land, a student who sees his friends fall, and a farmer who chooses the guerrillas when his family is threatened.

Why the film disappeared for decades

Communist censorship viewed Soy Cuba as a problem. The film placed too much emphasis on capitalist imagery and contained jazz and rock 'n' roll, music that the Soviet regime considered anti-Soviet. Barely screened, the film disappeared into the archives. It was not until 1992 that Martin Scorsese rediscovered it and brought it back to public attention.

Cinematography that stays with you

In addition to the story, the visual language stands out. Comrade Sergei Urusevsky employed inventive camerawork with long, fluid shots that are admired by filmmakers worldwide to this day. Soy Cuba is considered an example of cinematic daring.