AllMovie

Languishing during its initial 1964 release yet later hailed as a classic by film scholars some three decades later, the landmark Cuban/Soviet co-production I Am Cuba forms the foundation of filmmaker Vicente Ferraz's insightful documentary. The time was the 1960s, and revolution was sweeping through the streets of Cuba. As the Caribbean island country gradually began focusing their efforts on creating a new film culture, a group of Soviet filmmakers led by director Mikhail Kalatozov vowed to support their brothers and sisters in celluloid. The result was a film that paid tribute to the political struggles and ideals that had come to define Cuba, a film punctuated by remarkable technical bravura and genuinely sincere performances by a cast of nonprofessional actors. Now, in addition to discussing the traits that made the film truly stand the test of time, the filmmakers, technicians, and actors responsible for bringing I Am Cuba to the big screen sit down to reflect on their experiences making the film, and its remarkable transformation from forgotten classic to revered masterpiece.