Cuban Contemporary Independent Shorts

This documentary seeks to unravel the Cuban catastrophe through two narrative sources: dialogues and conversations of ordinary citizens as a kind of soundtrack—sometimes humorous, at other times deeply dramatic—reflecting on and citing examples of a nation’s tragedy under the whims of a cruel and inept dictatorship, steeped in hopelessness. The other perspective is conveyed through images of daily survival: the elderly under the protective wing of nuns, endless lines, scarcity, blackouts, repression—a city resembling a postwar landscape. In the end, there is no hope other than the longed-for freedom. DIRECTED BY ANA VICTORIA PÉREZ SPAIN, CUBA 2025 41 MINS Rancor A young man who has left Cuba reflects on three fundamental spaces in his life: Madrid, where he lives with his wife and his dog; Miami, where his mother, sister, and nephews live; and Republican Cuba before the Revolution, when his grandparents built the house that, over time, the entire family eventually abandoned. DIRECTED BY CARLOS A HALLEY CUBA, SPAIN 2026 15 MINS The Last Game (El último juego) In a lonely, gray city, a boy says goodbye to his friends as he prepares to leave the country with his parents, but he engages in one last game that takes an unexpected turn. DIRECTED BY DANIEL CHILE CUBA 2025 24 MINS Night and Fog Luanda and Vladimir must carry their father's dead body out of the house -a daunting task, given that everything they know is contained within those four walls. "Everything" truly means everything, from the most ordinary objects to memories and hope. DIRECTED BY BORIS GONZÁLEZ ARENAS CUBA 2026 16 MINS Norheimsund A girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her and her mother out of their austere life in Cuba, but her dreams are shaken when she realizes he isn’t as idyllic as he seems. DIRECTED BY ANA A. ALPIZAR CUBA, UNITED STATES 2025 12 MINS