Buena Vista Social Club

Buena Vista Social Club 1999

7.50

In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.

1999

Virgin Rose

Virgin Rose 2006

4.20

Simón transports illegal immigrants to New York, leaving them to their fate. When he is discovered by the coastguard, a young sailor, named Andrés saves his life. But when Andrés falls for Marie—a young protegée of Simón's—conflict erupts.

2006

Preludio 11

Preludio 11 1964

1

Daniela – a single mother, whose boyfriend left for the US – believes wholeheartedly in Cuba's revolutionary new order. Meanwhile, in Florida, a plot is afoot. Under the command of an American officer, four Cubans ex-patriots and a Guatemalan land on the Cuban coast to prepare a US invasion of the island. Daniela's superior, the corrupt Cuban officer Palomino, is secretly helping the invaders and the young woman becomes entangled in the intrigue.

1964

I Am Cuba

I Am Cuba 1964

7.80

Four vignettes on the lives of the Cuban people in the pre-revolutionary era. In Havana, Maria is ashamed when a man she loves discovers how she makes a living. Pedro, an old farmer, discovers that the land he cultivates is being sold to an American company. A student sees his friends attacked by the police while they distribute leaflets supporting Fidel Castro. Finally, a peasant family is threatened by Batista's army.

1964

The Headless Rider

The Headless Rider 1973

5.20

The film takes place in 1850, Texas, United States. Louise, daughter of the wealthy plantation owner Poindexter, master of the hacienda Casa del Corvo, falls in love with a poor mustanger Maurice Gerald. The night their secret rendezvous happens, her brother Henry disappears. Suspicion in murder falls on Gerald, who was found covered in blood, with signs of struggle on the body and on Henry's cloak. One more minute, and an angry crowd would have Gerald lynched, but then the mysterious Headless Horseman appears...

1973

Juan of the Dead

Juan of the Dead 2011

6.10

While Havana is full of zombies hungry for human flesh, official media reported that the disturbances are caused by dissidents paid by the United States. Panic seizes all until Juan comes to the rescue: he discovers he can kill the undead destroying his brain, and decides to start a small business under the slogan "We kill your loved ones."

2011

Yuli

Yuli 2018

7.00

Yuli is the nickname given to Carlos Acosta by his father, Pedro, who considers him the son of Ogun, an African god and a fighter. As a child Yuli avoids discipline and education, learning from the streets of an impoverished and abandoned Havana. His father, however, has other ideas, and knowing that his son has a natural talent for dance, sends him to the National Ballet School of Cuba. Despite his repeated escapes and initial poor behaviour, the boy is inevitably drawn to the world of dance, and begins to shape his legendary career from a young age, becoming the first black dancer to be cast in some of the most prestigious ballet roles, originally written for white dancers, in companies such as the Houston Ballet or the Royal Ballet in London.

2018

Strawberry and Chocolate

Strawberry and Chocolate 1993

7.10

Set in 1979, following a young Communist man's relationship with a gay Catholic writer, exploring tolerance, inclusion, homophobia and challenging its Cuban audience with great humour. Based on the short story by Cuban writer Senel Paz.

1993

Behavior

Behavior 2014

7.20

Meet Chala, an eleven year-old boy with a hard life and strong respect for Carmela, his sixth grade teacher. The pair develops a solid bond, but after Carmela suffers an accident, things get complicated…

2014

Memories of Underdevelopment

Memories of Underdevelopment 1968

7.40

In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs incident, Sergio chooses to stay behind in Cuba while his wife and family escape to neighboring Miami. Alone in a brave new world, Sergio observes the constant threat of foreign invasion while chasing young women all over Havana. He finally meets Elena, a young girl he seeks to mould into the image of his ex-wife, but at what cost to himself?

1968

Crossing a Shadow

Crossing a Shadow 2007

6.00

The movie follows the life of Enrique Aet, an engineer whose main obsession is to improve communications between the Peruvian jungle and Lima.

2007

The Lost Eden

The Lost Eden 2007

4.00

Gonzalo's life has been marked by the story of his mother, a Mambisa heroine of the war of 1895. After her death, he is sent to Spain. In 1931, he returns to Cuba to reclaim the family possessions and discovers the value of love and death, truth and lies, pain and hatred.

2007

Vampires in Havana

Vampires in Havana 1985

6.20

Professor Von Dracula, a vampire scientist, leaves Transylvania for Cuba, where he invents "Vampisol," a potion that allows vampires to survive in sunlight. When the professor announces his intention to donate the formula free-of-charge to vampires all over the world, the Vampire Mafia from Chicago and the European Group of Vampires from Düsseldorf try to muscle in and steal the formula. The action escalates crazily as an assortment of bad guys, police, vampires and other monsters, and our hero and his girlfriend are all caught up in the chase.

1985

Anna Pavlova

Anna Pavlova 1983

4.50

The young talented girl Anya, dreaming of a ballet, enters the choreographic school. Due to poor health, learning for her becomes unbearably difficult, but dreams of a ballerina career make her stubbornly deal with adversity. Anna’s performance and determination does not go unnoticed by the celebrated choreographer Marius Petipa, who helps to stage Pavlova's examination performance. Such a gift becomes a starting point for Ani in the world of big ballet, her fast-paced career, position in high society and world fame make her forget about close friends and especially her faithful Michel Fokine, who invested a lot of energy in the formation of a ballerina.

1983

Sandino

Sandino 1990

6.00

Narrative of a period of life (1926 - 1934) of the Nicaraguan revolutionary leader Sandino, who was known as "The general of free men."

1990

Half of Oscar

Half of Oscar 2010

4.50

A reunion with his family provides a clue into the cause of one man's lonely life in this drama from filmmaker Manuel Martin Cuenca. Oscar lives in a barren section of Almeria, Spain, where he works as a guard at a salt mine. Oscar's days are governed by a monotonous routine: he goes to work, has lunch with fellow guard Miguel, finishes work, visits his dying grandfather at a hospice, and then goes home. While he sometimes spends his evenings with a woman, it's clear their relationship is not a close one. One day, Oscar gets word that grandfather has been transferred to a hospital, and his sister Maria, who now lives in Paris, comes to Almeria to pay the old man a visit. Maria, who is expecting a baby, is accompanied by her boyfriend Jean , who tries to keep a distance between the two siblings. It becomes clear that Oscar and Maria share an ugly secret that she wants to keep hidden at all costs, leading to an grim tension that grows between her and her brother.

2010

Banderas, the Tyrant

Banderas, the Tyrant 1993

5.10

In Santa Fe de Tierra Firme, an imaginary Latin American country, the indigenous dictator Santos Banderas rules with an iron fist. A group of rebels trying to seize power by force while some liberals try a change of government legally.

1993

I'm Going to Santiago

I'm Going to Santiago 1964

6.20

This black-and-white film is a loving portrait of Santiago de Cuba and its people. It provides a view of Cuba as a picturesque country, the product of an earthy mix of black and criollo cultures. The film uses historical images which portray the end of the eighteenth century when Haitian slave owners fled with their slaves to Cuba after the Haitian Revolution.

1964