Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the Japanese film 'A Cuban Lover' (Kyûba no koibito, Kuroki Kazuo, 1969) exploring its representation of the Cuban Revolution and the transnational dynamics regarding its production, distribution and exhibition.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is part of a larger project examining the cinematic connections between Japan and Latin America during the second half of the twentieth century in terms of production, distribution and exhibition practices as well as what is represented in films. On the one hand, this project aims to explore the transnational dimensions of Japanese cinema in the specific geographical and cultural contexts of Latin American countries expanding the scope of research beyond the area of Asia, United States and Europe. On the other hand, its goal is also to analyse the relationship between Japan and Latin America cinemas taking into consideration their historical and political position in the global arena, in particular regarding the Unites States and the Cold War politics.

As a case study of the Japan-Latin America film connections, this paper will analyse the Japanese film 'A Cuban Lover' ('Kyûba no koibito', Kuroki Kazuo, 1969) looking at the transnational dynamics regarding its production, distribution and exhibition as well as its representation of the Cuban Revolution. Self-financed independently by Kuroki, in collaboration with the celebrated documentary filmmaker Tsuchimoto Noriaki, and unofficially co-produced with the Cuban Institute of Film Art and Industry (ICAIC), A Cuban Lover was filmed in the Caribbean island in 1968 with a very small, mixed team of Cuban and Japanese cast and staff. The story depicts the romantic relationship between a Japanese sailor and a Cuban revolutionary girl constructing a naïve, energetic portray of the Cuban revolution. Despite the film production efforts and the media interest, the film, however, was never exhibited in Cuba, whereas in Japan, it received a limited non-commercial release supported by the Japanese Communist Party. In this sense, A Cuban Lover offers an excellent example to examine the industrial interactions and political connections between the cinemas of these two islands.