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The Cuban

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The Cuban
Film poster
Directed bySergio Navarretta
Written byAlessandra Piccione
Produced by
  • Alessandra Piccione
  • Sergio Navarretta
  • Taras Koltun
  • Ana Golja
Starring
CinematographyCeliana Cárdenas
Edited byJane MacRae
Music byHilario Durán
Production
company
S.N.A.P. Films Inc.
Distributed byA71 Entertainment Brainstorm Media
Release date
  • December 7, 2019 (2019-12-07) (Whistler)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Cuban is a 2019 Canadian drama film, directed by Sergio Navarretta and written by Alessandra Piccione.[1] The film stars Ana Golja as Mina, a young woman working at a nursing home managed by her aunt Bano (Shohreh Aghdashloo) while preparing for medical school, whose outlook on life is profoundly changed when she meets and befriends Luis Garcia (Louis Gossett Jr.), a former Cuban jazz musician who has been living in the home since being diagnosed with dementia.[2]

Plot

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An unexpected friendship begins between an elderly Cuban musician with dementia who is brought out of his shell by his care worker, and a disillusioned young pre-med Afghan student named Mina. Through a shared loved of music, both their lives are changed.[3]

Cast

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In addition, Gabriel Sanchez Hernandez is seen throughout the film when Luis' addled memories conjure up the young Elena.

Release

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The film premiered on December 7, 2019 at the Whistler Film Festival,[4] where Celiana Cárdenas won the Borsos Competition award for Best Cinematography in a Canadian Film.[5] It had its American premiere in February 2020 at the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Narrative Feature and the Special Programmer's Award.[6]

In April 2020, the film aired on Super Channel as part of its special program of airing the films that had been slated to run at the Canadian Film Festival prior to its cancellation in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

The film was released at drive-ins and traditional theatres across Canada on July 28, 2020 and in virtual cinemas across the United States on July 31, 2020.

Awards and nominations

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Award Date of Ceremony Category Nominees Result Reference
Canadian Screen Awards May 20, 2021 Best Editing Jane MacRae Nominated [8]
Best Original Song Hilario Durán, "El Milagro" Nominated
Hilario Durán, "Mambo in Dominante" Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Etan Vlessing, "Louis Gossett Jr., Shohreh Aghdashloo Starrer 'The Cuban' Lands at Brainstorm Media". The Hollywood Reporter, July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Sheri Linden, "'The Cuban': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter, July 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "'The Cuban': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  4. ^ Katherine Brodsky, "Canadian and World Premieres Abound at Annual Whistler Film Festival". Variety, November 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Adrian Mack, "Antigone sweeps as Whistler film festival wraps". The Georgia Straight, December 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Pan African Film Festival Wraps, Screening a Record-Breaking 225 Films, Representing 52 Countries in 26 Languages!". pitchengine.com. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  7. ^ "Postponed Canadian Film Fest finds new home on Super Channel". Canadian Press, April 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Brent Furdyk (March 30, 2021). "Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations". ET Canada. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021.
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