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Strawberry & Chocolate Tomas Gutierrez Alea A sensation from Cuba in which a chance encounter over ice cream between a middle-aged gay man and a young, fervent believer in contemporary Cuban Marxism sets the stage for a funny but serious film about difference and acceptance. Their friendship develops despite official intolerance of homosexuality and it soon withstands that short-sighted policy. This film broke box office attendance records in Cuba and achieved world-wide acclaim. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1994, 104 mins. DVD | $37.95
The Cuban Masterworks Collection Tomas Gutierrez Alea/Julio Garcia Espinosa/Humberto Solas Five restored classics from revolutionary Cuba, including the Tomas Guitierrez Alea comedy, The Twelve Chairs (1962, 90 mins.), about the hunt for the jewels of a dying rich woman; Julio Garcia Espinosa's irresistible satire that follows a farmer who joins the revolution in The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin (1967, 104 mins.); Humberto Solas' Cecilia (1981, 127 mins.), a Cannes Film Festival hit about a love affair that transcends class boundaries; Eslinda Nunez stars in Amada (Humberto Solas, 1982, 105 mins.), a film about an unhappy marriage and the power of idealism; and the Havanna Film Festival Grand Prize Winner A Successful Man (Humberto Solas, 1986, 103 mins.), a historical drama chronicling the lives of two polarized brothers in pre-revolutionary Cuba. 5-DVD box set. Includes short Cuban films and documentaries, photo galleries, biographies, and more. In Spanish with optional English subtitles. Cuba, 1962-1986, 529 mins. DVD | $129
The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin Julio Garcia Espinosa Julio Garcia Espinosa's irresistible satire follows a farmer who joins the revolution. Includes short film Por Primera Vez, photo gallery, director bio, and more. In Spanish with optional English subtitles. Cuba, 1967, 104 mins. DVD | $44.95
Amada Humberto Solas Eslinda Nunez stars in this "passionate" (New York Times) drama set during World War I. Suffering an unfaithful husband, Amada falls for her cousin, a young radical named Marcial, who showers her with his idealism and unbridled enthusiasm. Co-starring Cesar Evora. Includes a short film about composer Leo Brouwer, photo gallery, director bio and more. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1982, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
Bitter Sugar Leon Ichaso This visceral, energizing look at contemporary Cuba is an impassioned love story set against the political and economic tensions of Havana. Gustavo, an ideal young Communist with a glorified vision of Castro's regime, falls in love with Yolanda, a disenchanted dancer who longs to escape to Miami. Despite their radically opposed beliefs, the young couple is inseparable. The city begins to erupt around Gustavo when his rebellious musician brother injects himself with the AIDS virus in suicidal protest, and his father realizes that he will earn more money as a hotel bar pianist than as a doctor. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1996, 102 mins. DVD | $44.95
Buena Vista Social Club Wim Wenders Wim Wenders intoxicating documentary captures the rehearsals, recording sessions and performances of several giants of Cuban son music, a popular form that dates back to the 1930s. American musician Ry Cooder rounded up these musical greats, some nearly forgotten, and organized a joyous, celebratory collaboration that brought their style of song back into the spotlight. Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez are just a few of the bright lights who enjoy a most deserving revival here. "Fame and acclaim apparently had to wait until these particular musicians were in the twilight of their careers. Like vintage wine and instruments, they seem to have improved with age" (Richard Harrington, Washington Post). English and Spanish. Germany/USA/France/Cuba 1999 101 mins. DVD | $37.95
Cecilia Humberto Solas From Humberto Solas comes this Cannes Film Festival hit about a love affair that transcends class boundaries. Set in 1830s Cuba, a boy from a wealthy family falls for a gorgeous, but poor girl, prompting his father to force him towards marriage with a woman befitting his social standing. This creative melodrama was highly controversial upon its release. Includes interviews with Cuban actresses, photo gallery, director bio and more. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1981, 127 mins. DVD | $44.95
Cuando Las Muheres Mandan Jose Gonzales Prieto Tin Tan (German Valdez) leads the charge in this hilarious battle-of-the-sexes comedy about male survivors of a passenger jet crash who discover an island colony governed exclusively by women. In Spanish WITH NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES. Cuba/Mexico, 1950, 89 mins. DVD | $37.95
Cuba Feliz Karim Dridi Armed only with his guitar, 76-year-old Cuban musician Miguel Del Morales, known as El Gallo (The Rooster), travels from one end of the beautiful island to the other, playing with fellow musicians wherever he finds them in this entertaining documentary. Filmmaker Karim Dridi follows Morales on his journey, documenting the musical exploits with only a hand-held camera and a single boom microphone. "...an unabashedly romantic picture of a nation whose songs spring directly from the lives of the people" (Stephen Holden, New York Times). France, 2000, 96 mins. DVD | $44.95
Cuban Story Errol Flynn/Victor Pahlen Errol Flynn and Fidel Castro star... Do we have your attention? Yes, it's true. Both Flynn and Castro appear in this documentary that was shown once at the Moscow Film Festival, then never shown again until its 2002 video release. Flynn and producer Victor Pahlen owned a Havana movie theater when Castro's revolution broke out. Taking to the streets with cameras, they captured footage of the upheaval as it took place, with Flynn serving as on-screen correspondent. Some of the footage was incorporated into Flynn's sad, laughable final movie, Cuban Rebel Girls, but this rare documentary went unseen until its restoration for this release. Cuba, 1958, 60 mins. DVD | $44.95
Death of a Bureaucrat Tomas Gutierrez Alea With Death of a Bureaucrat, Alea pays homage to the history of film comedy--from the anarchic tradition of Bunuel and Vigo, to the satire of Billy Wilder and the physical comedy of silent greats Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. The story of a young man's attempt to fight the system is an entertaining and hilarious account of galloping bureaucracy and the tyranny of red tape. An adventurous mix of slapstick farce and paranoid nightmare make this comedy a rich and enjoyable frenzy of laughter. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1966, 87 mins. Videocassette | $37.95
El Che: Investigating a Legend This program examines Che Guevara, the revolutionary who became a symbol of an entire generation. It covers his voyages of discovery through Latin America, his meeting with Castro, his travels around the world as Cuba's ambassador, his days as a victorious leader in guerilla warfare, his various disguises, his disastrous episode in the Congo, and his tragic end in Bolivia at age 39. The DVD includes the documentary, Tracing Che (Lawrence Elman, 52 mins.). 90 mins. DVD | $37.95
Entire Ciclones Enrique Colina During a destructive hurricane season in Cuba, an enterprising student labors to repair his roof and keep his romantic affairs in order. Enrique Colina directs a bittersweet drama about the eternal struggle between the pragmatic and the romantic. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba/Spain, 2003, 119 mins. DVD | $37.95
Great Day in Havana Laurie Ann Schag/Casey Stoll The state of the arts in Cuba's capital city is examined in this documentary by American filmmakers Laurie Ann Schag and Casey Stoll. Cuban artists, filmmakers and musicians, including sculptor Pedro "Pulido" Gonzalez, performance artist Tania Bruguera, singer/songwriter Carlos Varela, and jazz musicians Ele Valdes and Carlos Alfonso, discuss their work and reveal their personal feelings toward Fidel Castro, the U.S. embargo against Cuba, and their country's political climate. Also, Cuban expatriate filmmaker Elio Ruiz looks at the large community of Cuban exiles throughout the world. Narrated by Yareli Arizmendi. USA, 2000, 83 mins. DVD | $37.95
Guantanamera Tomas Gutierrez Alea This road movie, farce, satire, picaresque picture, black comedy, and bedroom farce about life in Cuba is the last film by the maestro of Cuban Cinema, Tomas Gutierrez Alea (Strawberry and Chocolate). Intertwining the stories of two groups, members of a funeral procession and some truck drivers making the journey on the road to Havana, the film stars Alea's widow and leading lady, Mirtha Ibarra, as ex-economics professor Georgina, who, with her husband, bureaucrat Adolfo (Carlos Cruz), tests a new funeral system with the body of Aunt Yoyita, an elderly singing star who returned to Cuba to visit an old flame and dropped dead in his arms. Cuba/Spain, 1994, 104 mins. DVD | $44.95
Habana Blues Benito Zambrano Ruy (Alberto Joe Garcia Osorio) and Tito (Roberto Sanmartin) are two best friends struggling to make it big playing rock music infused with some Cuban soul. Their passion is recognized by friends and family members who support their dream, but prospects of actual international stardom could tear them apart. "An enjoyably anarchic love letter to the never-say-die spirit of Cuba and to music as a way of life" (Variety). Winner of Goya Awards for Best Editing and Original Score, and nominated for Best Director. In Spanish with English subtitles. Spain/Cuba, 2005, 115 mins. DVD | $44.95
I Am Cuba Mikhail Kalatozov The Cuban revolution is at the center of Mikhail Kalatazov's strange, poetic film from 1964 which unites four stories. Originally controversial because of a uniquely Russian view of Cuba, it was not widely seen. In the years since its original release, the film, which features a poem by Yevgeni Yevtushenko, has achieved international critical acclaim. It offers a uniquely earthy view of Cuba in the early 1960s. 3-DVD Ultimate Edition. New hi-def master from original Russian 35mm interpositive. Includes video interview with Martin Scorsese, Spanish and Russian language tracks, Cuban version of opening credits, original trailer, stills gallery, making-of documentary titled The Siberian Mammoth (Vicente Ferraz, 2005, 91 mins., Portuguese, Spanish and Russian with English subtitles), City Cinematheque interview with screenwriter Yevgeny Yevtushenko, A Film about Mikhail Kalatozov (2006, 120 mins.), and a booklet on the making of the film and its history. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba/USSR, 1964, 141 mins. DVD | $69
The Last Supper Tomas Gutierrez Alea A celebrated film from Cuba, photographed with a lush palette, this startlingly beautiful masterpiece is based on an incident from 18th century Cuban history. The film is also a dazzling moral tale of a pious slaveholder who decides to improve his soul and instruct his slaves in the glories of Christianity by inviting 12 of them to participate in a reenactment of the Last Supper. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1976, 101 mins. DVD | $44.95
Life Is to Whistle Fernando Perez Sensual and vibrant, Life Is to Whistle weaves a tale of mystical realism surrounding three characters in an allegory of life in Castro's Cuba. Three orphans are torn between passion and repression as they act out the stories shared by a magical narrator. "Its surrealist imagery, inspired by Magritte paintings, lends it a thread of visual zaniness...the throbbing music of Bola de Nieve and Benny More, which punctuates the film, makes its erotic pulse race even faster" (Stephen Holden, The New York Times). Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1998, 106 mins. DVD | $44.95
Memories of Underdevelopment Tomas Gutierrez Alea A breakthrough Cuban film, the first Cuban film to be released in the U.S. Set in the 1960s, the film centers on a Europeanized Cuban intellectual, too idealistic (or lazy) to leave for Miami, but too decadent to fit into the new Cuban society. The film is a remarkable demonstration that artistic subtlety, political commitment, and superior entertainment need not be incompatible. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1968, 97 mins. Videocassette | $37.95
Nothing More / Nada Mas Juan Carlos Cremata As a laborer at the Havana post office, Carla Perez (Thais Valdes) spends her working hours battling bureaucratic rules and regulations. To keep from going crazy, she begins to take an active role in the lives of the letter writers whose mail she sorts. But just as her match-making project takes flight, she receives word from her exiled parents that she's eligible to move to Miami. Juan Carlos Cremata locates just the right balance of satire and whimsical charm in his directorial debut. In Spanish with English subtitles. DVD | $44.95
Nobody Listened Jorge Ulla/Nestor Almendros The brutal methods employed by Castro's government to maintain a stronghold on the Cuban population are chronicled in this revelatory documentary. Former Castro comrades and Communist party leaders, writers, intellectuals, and supporters of fallen Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista testify to the ill treatment they received at the hands of Cuba's police force. "Stark and terrifying...will chill you to the bone" (NY Daily News). In English and Spanish with English subtitles. USA, 1988, 117 mins. DVD | $44.95
A Paradise Under the Stars Gerardo Chijona Star-struck Sissy wants to sing at the Tropicana club, but her macho truck driver father forbids it. When he accidentally hits a biker on the road, he brings his victim home to recuperate. Sissy naturally falls hard for the hunk, but love--like stardom--does not come easy. Many more complications ensue in this "buoyantly entertaining" (Hollywood Reporter) Cuban comedy. Audience Award-winner at the Havana Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1999, 90 mins. DVD | $37.95
Portrait of Teresa Pastor Vega One of the key Cuban films shot in a fluid style, the film focuses on the stubborn survival of deeply ingrained traditions of machismo and sexism in post-revolutionary society. Teresa, a housewife, incurs the displeasure of her husband because of her involvement in political and cultural groups. Perhaps the most controversial Cuban film to be released in U.S. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1979, 115 mins. Videocassette | $37.95
Seven Days Seven Nights Joel Cano In Joel Cano's gritty Cuban drama, three young women experience simultaneous upheaval. One loses her daughter in a strange and ambiguous set of circumstances, the second faces repercussions after refusing to fulfil amoral job requirements, and the third is spontaneously fired from her job on the slaughterhouse floor. Although they are all very different women, their situations bring them together in an unexpected way. With Eruadye Muniz, Ludmila Alonso, Orisel Gaspar, Antonio Cano, and Ingrid Gonzalez. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba 2003 104 mins. DVD | $37.95
Soneros de Verdad From the Chan Chan Club in the heart of Havana, generations of Cuban musicians assemble for a memorable evening of music and dance. The "Someros of Verdad" represent Cuban tradition at its richest and most celebratory, and their performance here is no less than their very best. Features Pio Leiva and other stars from Buena Vista Social Club. Cuba, 60 mins. DVD | $37.95
A Successful Man Humberto Solas Humberto Solas' historical drama chronicles the lives of two polarized brothers in pre-revolutionary Cuba. A Grand Prize Winner at the Havana Film Festival. Includes short film Nostalgia del Cha Cha Cha, photo gallery, director bio, and more. In Spanish with optional English subtitles. Cuba, 1986, 103 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Twelve Chairs (Las Doce Sillas) Tomas Gutierrez Alea Before Mel Brook's adaptation of The Twelve Chairs, Tomas Gutierrez Alea directed this version of the classic story set during the aftermath of Cuba's revolution, a time when the property of the rich was being confiscated by the state. On her deathbed, a wealthy woman reveals to her son-in-law, Hipolito, that one of the 12 family chairs taken from her villa by the authorities hides her fortune in jewelry. Hipolito embarks on an hilarious journey to track down the treasure. Includes the short film Cuban Filmmakers on Cuban Films, an introduction by the ICAIC, photo gallery, director biography, and filmography. In Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1962, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Up to a Certain Point Tomas Gutierrez Alea This sly social comedy stars Oscar Alvarez, Mirta Ibarra and Omar Valdes. A married, middle-aged screenwriter is researching the problem of machismo in Cuban society and suddenly falls under the spell of Lina, a strong, self-supporting, young dockworker. Spanish with English subtitles. Cuba, 1985, 72 mins. Videocassette | $37.95
Waiting for Fidel Michael Rubbo In 1974, a group of extraordinary men take an extraordinary trip to Cuba. They include Joey Smallwood, the former socialist premier of Newfoundland; Geoff Stirling, the Newfoundland-born broadcasting magnate; and Michael Rubbo, the award-winning Australian-Canadian filmmaker. The men wind up in a strange limbo, waiting days on end to meet with Fidel Castro. Their wait itself becomes the subject of the film, as the men embark on a wide-ranging, often humorous, and powerfully compelling dialogue on Cuba, Canada, socialism, capitalism, and many other issues. Brilliantly executed, and punctuated with wonderful Cuban music, Waiting for Fidel is a documentary classic. Includes video interviews with the director and Canadian millionaire Geoff Stirling. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Canada, 1974, 58 mins. DVD | $44.95
Waiting List Juan Carlos Tabio A run-down bus station in rural Cuba is the backdrop for Juan Carlos Tabio's magical mixture of romance and social commentary. A disparate group of passengers wait and wait for their bus, but it never arrives. As they come to the realization that they are stuck at the station, they use their time to renovate their new home and engage in amorous pursuits. Shown as part of the Un Certain Regard series at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles. Spain/Cuba, 2000, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
Yank Tanks David Schendel Cuba's love of colorful classic American automobiles from the 1950's and 1960's is examined in this nostalgic documentary. Likening the island nation to a vast, living car museum, the filmmakers look at the eccentric enthusiasts who serve as its curators and their inventive ways of keeping the cars running in the decades since the U.S.A.'s embargo cut off all incoming replacement parts. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the L.A. Latino International Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles. USA/Cuba, 2002, 70 mins. DVD | $37.95
