Mafifa
a film by Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Cuba | documentary | color | 77 min | 2021
About this film
Synopsis
Filmmaker Daniela Muñoz Barroso, who is almost completely deaf, wants to discover the identity of the remarkable musician Mafifa. Her quest leads her on the trail of an enigmatic woman and also makes her question her own head and heart.
Plot keywords
Documentary | True story | memory | road movie | rural life | gender roles | women filmmaker | heroines | traditional music styles | female musician | hearing impairment | disabilities | Cuba | Caribbean | directorial debut
More about this film
Filmmaker Daniela Muñoz Barroso has lost most of her hearing, and can barely hear high frequencies at all. She uses her eyes not only to see but also to listen. And yet Barroso has developed a fascination for Gladys Esther Linares, aka Mafifa, a female musician who played the bell, a metal percussion instrument prominent in Cuban conga. Mafifa died 40 years ago, at a far too young age.
In this very personal road movie, Barroso goes in search of the traces that Mafifa left behind in Santiago de Cuba and the surrounding area. She speaks to people who knew Mafifa and shared her passion for the conga. Everyone describes her as an extraordinary person and a brilliant bell player, who didn’t care about the machismo around her.
Barroso explores every detail with her camera: beautiful landscapes, neighborhoods that have seen better days, and weather-beaten bodies that speak of a hard life. The deeper Barroso dives into her quest, the more Mafifa becomes a mirror for her own fears. (source: IDFA)
Crew & Cast
Original title: Mafifa
International title: Mafifa
Original language: Spanish
Directed by: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Produced by: Leila Montero, Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Cinematography: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Editing: Joanna Montero
Sound design: Glenda L. Martínez Cabrera
Music: Sarah Gutiérrez, Pepe Gavilondo
Screenplay: Daniela Muñoz Barroso, Carlos Melián Moreno & Joanna Montero
Narrated by: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
An Estudio ST Production
Festivals & Awards
- Winner. Fondo Fomento del Cine Cubano
- Awards at Haciendo Cine (WIP)- Muestra Joven, Cuba: Premio Memoria, granted by the Centro Pablo de la Torriente Brau, Espiral Servicios Audiovisuales. Estudios de Animación Icaic. Nuevas Miradas
- Selected for Incubando – Nuevas Miradas (WIP), EICTV
- World Premiere. Luminous. IDFA 2021
- Official Selection. Göteborg Film Festival 2022
- Official Selection. It’s all true Film Festival 2022.
- Winner. Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival. FIPRESCI Award. Turkey, 2022.
- Winner. Documentary Jury’s Award. Cinemartinique Festival, 2022
- Winner. Best Film. INSTAR Film Festival. Cuba, 2023.
Check out the full list of film festivals this film has been to.
Sinopsis
La cineasta Daniela Muñoz Barroso emprende un viaje al oriente de Cuba tras la pista de Mafifa, una mujer enigmática que tocaba un instrumento de percusión propio de hombres, cuyo sonido Daniela —que padece de hipoacusia— no puede escuchar. El periplo la hará cuestionar sus convicciones y enfrentar sus temores.
Ficha técnica
Título original: Mafifa
Título internacional: Mafifa
Idioma original: Spanish
Dirigido por: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Producción: Leila Montero, Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Dirección de fotografía: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Edición: Joanna Montero
Diseño de sonido: Glenda L. Martínez Cabrera
Música: Sarah Gutiérrez, Pepe Gavilondo
Guión: Daniela Muñoz Barroso, Carlos Melián Moreno & Joanna Montero
Narración: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Una producción de Estudio ST
Festivales y premios
- Proyecto ganador de la primera convocatoria del Fondo Fomento del Cine Cubano
- Premios Haciendo Cine (WIP)- Muestra Joven, Cuba: Premio Memoria, otorgado por el Centro Pablo de la Torriente Brau, Espiral Servicios Audiovisuales, Estudios de Animación Icaic y Nuevas Miradas
- Seleccionada para Incubando – Nuevas Miradas (WIP), EICTV
- Premiere mundial. Luminous. IDFA 2021
- Selección Oficial. Göteborg Film Festival 2022
- Selección Oficial. Festival É tudo verdade 2022.
- Mejor Película. Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival. Premio FIPRESCI. Turquía, 2022.
- Premio del Jurado. Competencia de Documentales. Cinemartinique Festival, 2023
- Mejor Película. Festival INSTAR. Cuba, 2023
Ver todos los festivales en los que la película participó
Sinopse
A cineasta Daniela Muñoz Barroso embarca numa viagem à região oriental de Cuba na trilha de Mafifa, uma enigmática mulher que tocava um instrumento de percussão reservado só a homens, cujo som Daniela – que sofre de hipoacusia – não consegue ouvir. A jornada a fará questionar suas convicções e enfrentar seus medos.
Ficha técnica
Título original: Mafifa
Título internacional: Mafifa
Idioma original: Spanish
Dirigido por: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Produção: Leila Montero, Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Direção de fotografia: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Edição: Joanna Montero
Design de som: Glenda L. Martínez Cabrera
Música: Sarah Gutiérrez, Pepe Gavilondo
Roteiro: Daniela Muñoz Barroso, Carlos Melián Moreno & Joanna Montero
Narrado por: Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Uma produção de Estudio ST
Festivais e prêmios
- Projeto ganhador do primeiro edital do Fondo Fomento del Cine Cubano
- Prêmios Haciendo Cine (WIP)- Muestra Joven, Cuba: Prêmio Memoria, outorgado pelo Centro Pablo de la Torriente Brau, Espiral Servicios Audiovisuales, Estudios de Animación Icaic e Nuevas Miradas
- Selecionada para Incubando – Nuevas Miradas (WIP), EICTV
- Premiere mundial. Luminous. IDFA 2021
- Seleção Oficial. Göteborg Film Festival 2022
- Seleção oficial. Festival É tudo verdade 2022.
- Melhor filme. Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival. Prêmio FIPRESCI. Turquia, 2022.
- Prêmio do Júri de Documentário. Cinemartinique Film Festival, 2023
- Melhor Filme. Festival INSTAR. Cuba, 2023
Conferir todos os festivais nos que o filme já participou.
Watch this film online ::: On Demand
Discover if you can rent or purchase this title for private viewing on Habanero PLAY, or visit the JustWatch streaming guide to see if it is already available in your country through any of your favorite digital platforms.
Non-theatrical ::: Educational bookings
If you are interested in using this film for your course or including it in your library resources, we can help you find the appropriate licensing for your needs. We offer tailor-made solutions for teachers, libraries, museums, film societies, non-profit organizations, and events. For more information, visit our educational website.
Join the conversation about this film
Follow this film’s journey on Facebook. Stay in the loop on the latest news and reviews. Network with fellow industry players on the film’s Cinando page. Your opinion matters, so don’t forget to rate and review it on IMDB.
Press reviews
“Mafifa, the most recent documentary by Cuban director and producer Daniela Muñoz Barroso, is the work of a unique ethnographic vocation…The film manages to calibrate, with surprising authenticity, an aesthetic experience full of revelations, which, without pose of stylistic transcendence, it enhances the sharpness of the its discourse and transforms it into something more.” [Full Review in Spanish]
Daniela Muñoz Barroso estrenará en IDFA su documental ‘Mafifa’, un ejercicio etnográfico desde las fronteras del Yo. Ángel Pérez. RIALTA
“Daniela Muñoz Barroso presents a dynamic portrait of late Cuban congan musician Mafifa. A rare, welcome example of a biographical documentary whose own style matches the unorthodox and radical example of its subject, Daniel Munoz Barroso’s Mafifa irresistibly plunges the viewer into the hectic world of Cuban conga music. Premering in the non-competitive Luminous sidebar at IDFA, this is just the kind of micro-budget production which can so easily be overlooked, but which deserves ample play in festivals and small-screen outlets both general and non-fiction oriented.” [Full Review]
‘Mafifa’: IDFA Review. SCREEN DAILY
“In Mafifa, director Daniela Muñoz Barroso creates a sensory feast that uses the power of cinema to share the experience of progressive hearing loss. ” [Full Review]
IDFA 2021: Luminous and Frontlight sections unveiled alongside first competitions, IDFA on Stage. Nick Cunningham. BUSINESS DOC EUROPE