Uncategorized

LPZ & Cuba

By December 31, 2014 February 18th, 2021 No Comments

In light of President Obama’s recent news about easing tensions between Cuba and the U.S., I would like to share with you the short film I produced over 10 years ago while in graduate school. The journey throughout such an interestingly beautiful and complex nation opened my eyes as both a filmmaker and as a human being. I recall leaving Cuba with a bitter sweet feeling, knowing that I had just experienced one of the most uniquely preserved and magical places on the planet, while also feeling frustrated for the oppressive political climate. Below is a description of our student film which was partly funded by the Miramax Film Minority Fund.
____

Clorinda Andrade and Kevin Lopez, graduate students from the University at Buffalo, traveled to the Caribbean island of Cuba to explore one of its most apparent paradoxes, its tourism industry. Having traveled through the island for a month, both captured a more personal side of Cuba that many are never exposed to, a view of the country where Cubans are able to speak for themselves.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba faced one of the worst economic crises of its history, known as the Special Period. As a result, the government was forced to restructure its tourism sector, which has become the most sustainable economic resource for the country.

Today, Cuba is prepared to receive up to fifteen million tourists per year. Tourism has become the most important sector of the Cuban economy, and researchers predict that once it opens up to the U.S., one million visitors will arrive to the island.

This film, which was partly funded by the Miramax Minority Scholarship Fund, explores the current social effects of tourism on Cuban society.