Politics and Cinema in Latin America is the theme of a debate at Mostra’s Lounge
Politics and Cinema in Latin America is the theme of a debate at Mostra’s Lounge
The series of meetings at the Mostra’s Lounge continued last Thursday, the 26th, with the debate Latin America: Politics and Cinema, with José Glusman (Solos), Tania Hermida (How Much Further) and Glenn Gebhard (Cuba: A Lifetime of Passion). Mediated by TV host Serginho Groisman, the debate also counted on the presence of composer Mladen Milisovic, who did the soundtrack for Cuba: A Lifetime of Passion.
Cinema and politics are two topics that are not easily dissociated from the Latin-American countries’ cinematography, be it in the way they show political conflicts on the screens or in the never-ending discussions around production incentive measures. “It’s inevitable to make movies in Argentina and not mention the country’s political and social problems”, says José Glusman (Solos). Its Brazilian neighbor produces around forty to fifty films a year, and also depends on incentive laws. To Glusman, Argentinean law has an advantage over Brazilian law: “In Argentina, it’s easy for us to make co-productions with other countries, and in Brazil this doesn’t happen. But in regards to screening, we face the same problems,” he says.
Following Brazil and Argentina, little Ecuador is for the first time trying to set up a local production. Just to have an idea, for the first time in thirty years the Mostra is screening a feature film from this country, How Much Further. “It’s the first time an Ecuadorian film participates in the Mostra and that makes me even more touched to be here”, says Tania Hermida. She had to make it through some stony paths in order to raise funds for her film, knocking on every door to get the necessary financing. “I can say that I made up the speech that cinema has a cultural importance for Ecuador.” Hermida also confessed that, after many a struggle, Ecuador passed its first cinematographic production incentive law three months ago.
American Glenn Gebhard, on the other hand, says that two of his biggest problems were about the theme and the distribution of his last documentaries. Since 1994, Gebhard has been researching Cuba, and that has yielded ten documentaries about the island. “It’s very difficult to make a film about Cuba in the USA, especially now that the country is clearly leaning towards the right-wing”, he confesses. According to the director, to sell his films is more and more difficult, because he would have to give up his own style. “TV Channels like the Discovery Channel and the History Channel want you to shoot in their style, and I don’t want to make a documentary that looks like it was made by Discovery.” For the first time, with Cuba: A Life of Passion, Gebhard got the authorization from the Cuban government to shoot in the country – all his other films were shot in hiding. In order to make the feature, which talks about the possible Cuban regime transition, the director invited composer Mladen Milisovic to compose the soundtrack. Milisovic is a Cuban music specialist and has already written for many other films about the island. “In the movie, I didn’t use only Cuban music, but also some boleros. Cuban music is a very happy and upbeat music and, in certain moments, it didn’t fit into the film’s plot.” Aware of the political happenings on Fidel’s island for the last years, at the end of the debate Gebhard took a chance and concluded that: “Nowadays there are two Cubas, but in the future there’ll only be one. And it will not be Fidel’s nor will it be Miami’s.”