The feature film is a tribute to the five decades of the film El Hombre de Maisinicú (1973) by Manuel Pérez, a classic of Cuban cinema based on the story of State Security agent Alberto Delgado, murdered by counterrevolutionary gangs on April 29, 1964.
According to Lobaina in an interview with Prensa Latina in Washington DC, the filming project arose from “the affinity I have had for a long time with the film, even since I was a child, and also for having coincided fortuitously with the director Manuel Perez”.
From that conversation “in which I learned details of the script of El Hombre de Maisinicú, of its production process, my idea for the documentary came out, and that is how I created the project.
And I spoke with the producer, Santiago Llapur,” he explained.
The filmmaker, a graduate of the Faculty of Film, Radio and Television of the Higher Institute of Art of Cuba, said he is satisfied with the results he achieved and especially with the reception he received, especially among young people.
Maisinicú, medio siglo después - released in Cuba last June 6 in 155 movie theaters on the island, on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the Ministry of the Interior - with the premiere in this capital allowed the public to get to know the process of making the historic film through interviews with the main members of the production team.
Also screened during this first festival were Cuba Libre (2015) and El Benny (2006), both by Jorge Luis Sánchez, and Gloria Rolando's Hermanas de Corazón (2021), a unique and little-known account of the Oblates of Providence. This black Catholic order since 1829 was dedicated to educational missions in the United States, Cuba, and other parts of the Americas.
In summing up these days, Pamela Pinnock, representing Busboys and Poets, praised the community's public participation. “We were fortunate to have director Mitchell Lobaina join us at the festival's closing,” she stressed, stating that ”we had a great time and look forward to repeating it next year.”
“I sincerely hope that this is the first edition of many festivals to come, in which we can grow, bring more filmmakers from Cuba, screen more films, and create a local event in which everyone is excited to participate,” said Lianys Torres, Chargé d'Affaires of the Cuban Embassy in the United States, at the opening of the event.
At the same time as this film festival, a music series was held at the popular Blues Jazz Alley in this city with outstanding Cuban artists based here.
The Day of Cuban Culture in 2024 has two special motivations: the 120th anniversary of the birth of world-renowned writer Alejo Carpentier and the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry. 