Memorias del desarrollo
a film by Miguel Coyula
Cuba | drama-experimental | HD | color | 112 min | 2010
About this film
Synopsis
Production of “Memorias del Desarrollo” took five years, starting in 2005 and completed in 2010, with locations in five countries. It is the first Cuban dramatic feature film with scenes filmed both in Cuba and the United States. After its world Premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, it went to garner several awards and honors and receiving almost unanimous positive reviews throughout its Film Festival run. The International Film Guide described it as one of the best films Cuba has ever produced.
Synopsis
An intellectual leaves the Cuban Revolution and ‘underdevelopment’ behind only to find himself at odds with the ambiguities of his new life in the ‘developed’ world. A portrait of an alienated man, an outsider with no clear-cut politics or ideology: a stranger in a strange land struggling with old age, sexual desire and ultimately, the impossibility for the individual to belong in any society.
The film’s narrative is a collage of flashbacks, daydreams, and hallucinations comprising live-action, animation, and newsreel footage assembled to suggest the way personal memory works, subjectively and emotionally.
Plot keywords
Cuba | Ideology | Exile | Identity | Experimental | Memory | Adaptation | Post-Capitalism
Crew & Cast
Original Title: MEMORIAS DEL DESARROLLO
International Title: MEMORIES OF OVERDEVELOPMENT
Original language: Spanish / English
Directed by: Miguel Coyula
Based on a novel by Edmundo Desnoes
Screenplay, Cinematography & Editing: Miguel Coyula
Producer: David W. Leitner
Executive producers: Steve Pieczenik, Suzana Dejkanovic
Associate producers: Michael Ferris Gibson, Juan Martínez, Yukiko Niigata
Production Manager: Marta Aquino – Havana, Cuba
Music: Dika Durbuzovic, Hayes Greenfield, Miguel Coyula
Main cast:
Ron Blair, Eileen Alana, Susana Perez, Lester Martiínez, Dayana M. Hernández
Festivals & Awards
MEMORIAS DEL DESARROLLO has won 20 awards, among them:
- World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival
- Best Cuban Film of The Year. International Film Guide
- Best Narrative Film. Havana Film Festival New York. USA, 2010
- Special Mention. Cine Las Americas International FF. USA, 2010
- Best Feature. New Media Film Festival. USA 2010
- Best Narrative Feature. Dallas Video Fest. USA, 2010
- Most Innovative Film. Cero Latitud Film Festival. Equador, 2010
- Cine Latino Award. Washington DC Independent FF. USA,2011
- Special Award. ACE Awards. USA, 2011
- Best Film. Muestra Nacional de Nuevos Realizadores. Cuba, 2011
- Best Latin American Director. Málaga Film Festival. Spain, 2011
- Audience award. Best Foreign Film. Arraial CineFest. Brazil, 2011
Sinopsis
Un intelectual cubano abandona la revolución y el subdesarrollo solo para encontrar que no encaja en su nueva vida en el desarrollo. Un retrato de un hombre alienado, sin política e ideología definidas, enfrentando el envejecimiento, el deseo y la imposibilidad del individuo de pertenecer en ninguna sociedad.
La narrativa del film es un collage de recuerdos, ensoñaciones, compuestos de ficción, animación, y elementos documentales manipulados y ensamblados de una manera que sugiere la manera en que opera la memoria personal subjetiva, la película está basada en la novela homónima de Edmundo Desnoes, segunda parte del díptico iniciado con Memorias del Subdesarrollo en 1967.
Ficha técnica
Título original: MEMORIAS DEL DESARROLLO
Título internacional: MEMORIES OF OVERDEVELOPMENT
Idioma original: Español / inglés
Dirigida por: Miguel Coyula
Basada en la novela homónima de Edmundo Desnoes
Guión, fotografía y edición: Miguel Coyula
Productor: David W. Leitner
Productores ejecutivos: Steve Pieczenik, Suzana Dejkanovic
Productores asociados: Michael Ferris Gibson, Juan Martínez, Yukiko Niigata
Productora de línea: Marta Aquino – La Habana, Cuba
Música: Dika Durbuzovic, Hayes Greenfield, Miguel Coyula
Elenco principal:
Ron Blair, EileenAlana, Susana Perez, Lester Martínez, Dayana M. Hernández
Festivales y premios
MEMORIAS DEL DESARROLLO ganó 20 premios, entre ellos:
- Premiere mundial, Sundance Film Festival
- Mejor película cubana del año. International Film Guide
- Mejor ficción. Havana Film Festival New York. USA, 2010
- Mención especial. Cine Las Americas International FF. USA, 2010
- Mejor largometraje. New Media Film Festival. USA 2010
- Mejor largometraje de ficción. Dallas Video Fest. USA, 2010
- Premio a la película más innovadora. Festival Cero Latitud. Ecuador, 2010
- Premio Cine Latino. Washington DC Independent FF. USA,2011
- Premio Especial. Premios ACE. USA, 2011
- Mejor película. Muestra Nacional de Nuevos Realizadores. Cuba, 2011
- Mejor Director de la Competencia Latinoamericana. Festival de Málaga, 2011
- Premio del Público. Mejor película extranjera. Arraial CineFest. Brasil, 2011
Sinopse
Um intelectual cubano abandona a revolução e o dito “subdesenvolvimento” apenas para descobrir que ele não se encaixa em sua nova vida nos EUA. Um retrato de um homem alienado, sem política e ideologia definida, enfrentando o envelhecimento, o desejo e a impossibilidade do indivíduo de pertencer a qualquer sociedade.
A narrativa do filme é uma colagem de memórias, sonhos, composta de ficção, animação e materiais de arquivo manipulados e reunidos como se fossem memórias pessoais.
O filme tem como base o livro homônimo de Edmundo Desnoes, autor do clássico “Memórias do Subdesenvolvimento” também adaptado para tela grande por Tomáz Gutiérrez Alea.
Ficha técnica
Título original: MEMORIAS DEL DESARROLLO
Título internacional: MEMORIES OF OVERDEVELOPMENT
Idioma original: Espanhol / inglês
Dirigida por: Miguel Coyula
Baseada no romance homônimo de Edmundo Desnoes
Roteiro, fotografia e edição: Miguel Coyula
Produtor: David W. Leitner
Produtores executivos: Steve Pieczenik, Suzana Dejkanovic
Produtores associados: Michael Ferris Gibson, Juan Martínez, Yukiko Niigata
Jefe de Produção: Marta Aquino – La Habana, Cuba
Música: Dika Durbuzovic, Hayes Greenfield, Miguel Coyula
Elenco principal:
Ron Blair, EileenAlana, Susana Perez, Lester Martínez, Dayana M. Hernández
Festivais e prêmios
MEMORIAS DEL DESARROLLO ganhou 20 prêmios, entre eles:
- Premiere mundial, Sundance Film Festival
- Melhor filme cubano do ano. International Film Guide
- Melhor filme. Havana Film Festival New York. USA, 2010
- Menção Especial. Cine Las Americas International FF. USA, 2010
- Melhor filme. New Media Film Festival. USA 2010
- Melhor longa de ficção. Dallas Video Fest. USA, 2010
- Prêmio ao filme mais innovador. Festival Cero Latitud. Equador, 2010
- Prêmio Cine Latino. Washington DC Independent FF. USA, 2011
- Prêmio Especial. Premios ACE. USA, 2011
- Melhor filme. Muestra Nacional de Nuevos Realizadores. Cuba, 2011
- Melhor filme da Motra Competitiva Latino-americana. Festival de Málaga, 2011
- Prêmio do Público. Melhor Filme Estrangeiro. Arraial CineFest. Brasil, 2011
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. Your opinion matters, so don’t forget to rate and review it on IMDB.
Press reviews
‘Thoughtful and cinematically bold… An affecting portrait of modern man becoming more and more isolated from a world he helped to create.’ Read more
Review by James Greenberg, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
‘Remarkable… A dazzling and disconcerting work of great bravado… A paradigm for a new digital cinema beholden to no orthodoxy.’ Read more
Review by Michael Chanan, PUTNEY DEBATER (UK)
‘Astounding on several levels as it graphically delivers and sums up both the sham of capitalism and the time warp that the Cuban Revolution has created.’ Read more
Nancy Snipper, ARTS & OPINION
‘A complex kaleidoscope, which in turns dictates the editing of the sequences in a kinetic, non-linear way. Paralleling free association, the structure blurs the lines between actual events, fake memories, projections, irritation at American pop culture, political anger, rambling and resentments.’ Read more
Review by Bérénice Reynaud, SENSES OF CINEMA
‘Un momento memorable del arte cubano.’ Read more
La Revolución es un sueño by Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, EL DIARIO DE CUBA
‘Sin renunciar para nada a una poética personal (avanzada desde sus obras anteriores) Miguel Coyula ha destilado su voluntad de comunicación, y emprendió esta película ambiciosa, cargada de referencias transtextuales, concienzuda y meticulosa secuela de un clásico indiscutible cuya majestad ha sido amorosamente retada, y de algún modo trascendida, por medio de las técnicas del collage fotográfico y sonoro que le confieren una voluntad alusiva y una ambición simbólica prácticamente insondables.’ Read more
Cartas de créditos para el cine cubano del siglo XXI, by Joel del Río, ONCUBA MAGAZINE
‘Memorias del subdesarrollo y Memorias del desarrollo reconcilian, en suma, filme político y creatividad al cuestionar el compromiso pero sin la pesadez didáctica. Alea, revolucionario inquisidor pero prudente expone, Coyula tirando balas reales incrimina, pero los dos multiplican los puntos de vista y finalmente abogan en favor de los outsiders que ameritan la indulgencia más que el ostracismo.’ Read more
Mémoires du sous-développement & Mémoires du développement: radiographies de la politique cubaine by Magali Kabous, CINE LATINO
‘la extraordinaria labor de Coyula con el patchwork y el montaje de su película nos incita a renovar algunas de las preguntas sobre las paradojas del arte moderno, la memoria y el archivo, la fragmentación del gran relato del cine nacional, el papel de la experimentación en el cine, y la compleja relación entre los intelectuales y el poder.’ Read more
Otros modos de hacer cine: conversación con Miguel Coyula en La Habana by Julio Ramos
80 GRADOS: PRENSA SIN PRISA, Puerto Rico
‘From Northtalgia to Southnesthesia, from Sergio to Sergio 2.0, from the anachronistic analogic of the black-and-white to the rainbow of digital cut-and-paste, somewhere somehow between both movies we Cubans have left behind our old illusions of identity. Life is elsewhere. Love is nowhere. Loss is everywhere. Suddenly we are all Citizen Sergio now’ Read more
Memories of Media Death. Eduardo Luis Pardo Lazo
‘Memories of Underdevelopment… conjures up the uncertain mood of Havana just after the revolution. The effect is fascinating. A must-see.’ Read more
Memories of Underdevelopment. Film Review. THE GUARDIAN
