japanese
Islands / I Lands, NOW—Vista de Cuba
  • Wondering Cuba
  • Santiago Álvarez
  • Sara Gómez
  • Nicolás Guillén Landrián
  • Another Eye
  • Immigrants’ Island
  • Fernando Pérez
  • Following Suite Habana
  • Immigrants’ Island



    Cuba is in many ways an island of immigrants. Spaniards colonized the island after the Spanish invasion in 1510, virtually annihilating the indigenous population, and slaves were brought from Africa. After the slave trade was abolished, some 100,000 Chinese came as laborers. People from Japan, the Korean peninsula, Okinawa, and other parts of Asia came in search of wealth. There were also those who came from other Latin American countries to participate in the revolutionary army, as well as other political and social exiles who arrived later. As a result, Cuba is a Latin African ethnic mix and an island of diasporas. The migratory fluxes that began over 500 years ago still continue today.


    -The Longest Journey

    El viaje más largo

    CUBA / 1987 / Spanish / Color / Video (Original: 35mm) / 18 min

    Director: Rigoberto López
    Photography: José M. Riera
    Editing: Félix de la Nuez
    Producer: Guillermo García
    Production Company, Source: ICAIC

    Chinese immigration to Cuba started in 1847, when Cantonese contract workers, bringing the religion of Buddhism with them, came to work in the sugar fields to replace or work alongside African slaves. Some Chinese immigrants settled permanently in Cuba, and over the following decades, hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers immigrated for political reasons from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The film examines the Chinese presence in Cuban life as part of the national mestizaje (mixing of races).



    -The Island of Youth

    La Isla de la Juventud

    MEXICO / 2007 / Spanish / Color / Video / 72 min

    Director, Script, Producer, Source: Ana Laura Calderón
    Photography: Matheus de Rocha
    Editing: Edna Herrera Arjona
    Production Company: Alas Ocultas

    - The Island of Youth is an intimate and stirring trip that transports us to the revolutionary promise of paradise. By means of the collective memory of the elders of the island, the film explores the dreams and defeats of its inhabitants, constituting a tribute to those who have made compromises in their lives in the hope of a better future.



    -Dance of Time


    KOREA / 2009 / Korean, Spanish / Color / Video / 92 min

    Director: Song Il-gon
    Photography: Park Young-jun
    Editing: Lee Se-hoon
    Producer: Chae Soo-jin
    Source: INDIESTORY Inc.

    Depicts how the Korean Diaspora stretches far and wide to include Cuba. Around 1900, a group of people from Joseon (Korea) traveled to Cuba in hopes of making money but were unable to return to Korea. Today, fifth- and sixth-generation “Coreanos” continue to retain Korean culture while leading colorful lives amid the beautiful music and magnificent landscapes of Cuba.