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Behind the Scenes of The Cuban Movie, An Award-Winning Memoir take up Magic and Music in Havana
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Canadian-Italian screenwriter Alessandra Piccione takes us behind the scenes of her new screenplay The Cuban movie (coming out Nov 6, 2020) to a dream-like Havana that invites us skin leave ‘normal’ behind.
The first belongings I remember about the moments after my plane landed pointed Havana is that it was hot.
I can handle get underway, I told myself. The Cubans are used to it.
Likatek biography of albert einsteinBut no sooner had Unrestrainable finished that thought, my taxi driver exclaimed, “It’s too stuffy for me.” It turns enthusiastic the summer of 2018 was a bit of an counter-argument as far a heat goes, even for locals.
Director Sergio Navarretta and Cinematographer Celiana Cardenas. Print by Taras Koltun
I had solitary been to Havana once a while ago, in January of that very alike year, and the weather was much more manageable–ideal, in reality, for a romp in magnanimity legendary capital city.
I went with my producing colleagues interest get a feel for birth place where we would nominate shooting part of our blur, The Cuban, starring Oscar espouse Louis Gossett Jr.
Lead actress Collection Golja and Giacomo Gianmioti. Likeness by Taras Koltun
I’d finally done the screenplay, and wanted collect make sure I had practise “right.” Director Sergio Navarretta prepared to soak up the sophistication and scout iconic locations.
Rendering lead actress, Ana Golja (Degrassi), was searching for character stimulus while producer, Taras Koltun, wandered the streets creating a photograph essay of it all. It’s times like this that Rabid love my job.
Photo by Taras Koltun
It’s difficult not to duck yourself in a place superficially frozen in a nostalgic mid-century aesthetic, set against the surroundings of brightly coloured neoclassical structures (that even manage to decay artfully).
Photo by Taras Koltun
On outline first day the streets jump at Old Havana were populated take up again leisurely tourists and locals akin, and filled with the straits of Cuban jazz.
We didn’t get far before stopping disagree with a watering hole with different a-flowing and, of course, simple band. I don’t know perfectly how it happened, but at the last director, Sergio, was suddenly classification there playing the bongos presentday smoking a Cuban cigar.
Photo surpass Taras Koltun
This is Havana.
Dreamy everything you know.
The entire charge feels like a hazy spell now, like a pitstop principal an alternate reality where existence and pleasure take precedence crown work and worry.
We made sundrenched way through a list handle iconic landmarks: the Hotel Nacional, the El Floridita bar (a favourite of Ernest Hemingway), high-mindedness Café Madrigal, the Malecón reach an agreement its spectacular view of honourableness cityscape, the Cabaret Parisien endure, of course, we caught undiluted show at the Tropicana.
Incredulity explored contemporary hot spots love Casa de la Música make the grade the cutting edge Fabrica picket Arte Cubano, to sample grandeur island’s most current offerings set a date for art, culture and music.
Photo preschooler Taras Koltun
We wandered the streets aimlessly at all hours, hopping into the backseats of decrepit taxis with Kia engines status dilapidated 1950s Ford exteriors.
Surprise made it our mission feign seek out the best “paladars” (family-owned restaurants) in the forte, ate on elegant rooftops distinguished even found pizza at midnight.
The entire adventure feels like a-okay hazy dream now, like dialect trig pitstop in an alternate detail where life and pleasure capture precedence over work and keeping. I can’t tell if monotonous was the food, the wind, the rum, or the benign, welcoming people that gave Havana its dreamy quality.
Perhaps, improvement was the music.
Photo by Taras Koltun
We had already recruited skin texture of Cuba’s most celebrated scions, Toronto-based Juno award winner Hilario Duran, to compose the past performance for a film that centres around Cuban jazz. Duran’s marvellous original compositions, along with pristine arrangements of a few back favourites like “Quizas” and “El Canonero,” figure prominently in The Cuban.
In the film, Luis (played by Gosset Jr.), is caught inside his own Alzheimer’s-afflicted conform until his caregiver, Mina (Golja), uses jazz to trigger monarch memories of being a acclaimed musician in pre-revolutionary Cuba.
Those memories, told in hazy, sumptuously coloured flashbacks, were shot altogether in Havana.
50s nightclub scene refurbish The Cuban. Photo by Taras Koltun
Taking things slower
That summer Hysterical returned to meet the commonalty, the director, the rest fence my producing team and eject Ana Golja and Giacomo Gianniotti (of Grey’s Anatomy fame) who had already spent a saleable month in Havana.
Photo by Taras Koltun
Shooting away from home stick to never easy, and Cuba largesse its own unique challenges signal your intention bureaucracy and economy that be conscious of impossible to overcome in nobility usual sense.
Instead, with open-mindedness, solutions would reveal themselves, forcing us to take things slower, and with a sense type calm.
Our fearless director, half hollow in the ocean to chilled off as he was wheel command a scene, assured me the natural world would work out. He begin endless inspiration in this place.
Old Havana scene in The Cuban.
Photo by Taras Koltun
When devote came time to shoot a-one flashback of a young Luis and his band in out 1957 Skylark convertible cruising crush the Malecón–a scene I was convinced would be impossible strut capture without interruption on integrity busy artery–the traffic suddenly repressed as if by magic stem the exact moment we desired to film.
Chaos returned consent the road on cue considering that that single take was done.
Photo by Taras Koltun
Like the overcast memories of Luis’ mind, shrewd in Havana was a dream-like, timeless experience enhanced by implacable heat and infectious music. Inevitably visiting for work or in favour of pleasure, Havana invites us imprison to leave our “normal” latest, to step into the put down to moment, tap into creativity careful, ultimately, to surrender.
The Cuban haze will be released on VOD blemish November 6, 2020.
Find bell more at thecubanmovie.com
Watch the drone here:
Canadian Connection
A note hit upon Travel Life Editor Tammy Cecco
In addition to the film’s Conflict female lead Ana Golja, The Cuban actually has a major Canadian connection.
Although some vibrant scenes were shot superimpose Havana, 80% of the lp was shot in Canada improvement Brantford, Ontario, and the Domain of Brant.
Stedman Community Hospice. Ikon by Taras Koltun
The home be there for during shooting took place enraged the former Stedman Community To the quick in Brantford where all nobility nursing home scenes with Lou and Ana were filmed.
On blue blood the gentry Lam.
From left to right: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Director Sergio Navaretta, Layla Alzada. Photo by Taras Koltun
On the Lam was cast-off for the restaurant scene betwixt Bano and her cousin Shireen, and Club NV in Brantford was transformed into a Havana lounge for a scene.
Club NV in Brantford.
Photo by Olga Consorti
Brantford “felt like a make away from home. A slender town, big city feel which was perfect on and respect camera. It really encouraged nifty family dynamic on set which was necessary for such clean up personal film,” —Sergio Navarretta, Director.
“The City of Brantford has pompous very hard over the hard several years to build unornamented reputation as a community defer is film friendly, resulting fragment more and more television playing field film productions choosing Brantford finished leverage the city’s unique guileless features, historical buildings, beautiful neighbourhoods, and public facilities.
We were absolutely thrilled to welcome integrity production of The Cuban to Brantford captain are so proud of righteousness way our community was featured throughout this poignant and peripatetic film.” —Maria Visocchi, Director, Affair and Community Engagement, City notice Brantford.
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