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Restored Shorts of Nicolás Guillén Landrián (12A)

Cinema Restored x Open City Documentary Festival

,Cinema 2
A young woman looks forward towards the camera in an aged, black and white photograph.

Discover the groundbreaking shorts of Nicolás Guillén Landrián (1938-2003), Afro-Cuban filmmaker, painter, and poet. 

Nicolás Guillén Landrián (1938 -2003) was an Afro-Cuban filmmaker, painter and poet, committed to a highly personal cinematic vision, focusing on Afro-Cuban life and culture. 

Landrián's vision put him at odds with the Cuban state and the principles of the Revolution. His films were bowdlerised and eventually suppressed, and Landrián was sent to prison camps where he was subjected to psychiatric treatment. In 1989 Landrián went into exile in the United States.

Working at Cuba's National Film Institute, Landrián crafted compelling documentaries with a focus on Afro-Cuban life. Despite suppression by the Cuban state, his visionary works have resurfaced thanks to restoration efforts led by filmmaker Ernesto Daranas. Explore Landrián's personal cinematic vision and his enduring legacy in this program of restored shorts.

Tagged with: Cinema Nicolás Guillén Landrián Restored Cinema Restored

Biography

Nicolás Guillén Landrián (1938, Camagüey, Cuba -2003, Miami, Florida) was an Afro-Cuban filmmaker, painter and poet. The nephew of Nicolás Guillén, Cuba’s national poet, Landrián worked at the Cuban National Film Institute (ICAIC) from the early 1960s to the early 1970s, making short newsreels and documentaries.

 A gifted director with an uncommon creative sensibility, Landrián was committed to a highly personal cinematic vision, which included an unapologetic focus on Afro-Cuban life and culture. 

Programme

En un barrio Viejo

Nicolás Guillén Landrián / 1963 / 9'00

A tender and experimental short documentary that weaves a mosaic of Cuba, honing in on a microcosm: an old neighborhood where the nation's identity gradually unfolds amidst its diverse dualities.

 

Ociel del Toa

Nicolás Guillén Landrián / 1965 / 16'28

Ociel del Toa offers a poetic glimpse into the lives and daily endeavors of the residents along the Toa River, situated in Cuba's Oriente province.

 

Los del baile

Nicolás Guillén Landrián /1965 / 6'27

Nicolás Guillén Landrián's "Los del baile" vividly portrays the Cuban dance culture with a mix of solemnity and vivacity, set to the rhythms of Pello el Afrokán's music. Despite its vibrant depiction of the Havana night and the infectious energy of the dance floor, the film was banned during the early days of the Cuban revolution for its portrayal of an undesirable image.

 

Coffea Arábiga

Nicolás Guillén Landrián / 1968 / 17'37

Coffea Arábiga, initially commissioned as a propaganda documentary illustrating coffee cultivation around Havana, instead became a critique of Castro's regime by Guillén Landrián, leading to its exhibition followed by a ban once the coffee plan failed.

Cinema 2

Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue. 

Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.