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Film short abstract

Dina_Stars and ComePizza are among the first generation of YouTubers in Cuba.After Dina experiences an attempted sexual assault, she begins to dedicate her channel to women’s rights issues. Her political activism, however, provokes repercussions when Cuba experiences the biggest protests in decades.

Film long abstract

DINAMITA follows Dina_Stars and Adriano_ComePizza, who are among the first generation of YouTubers in Cuba, a country where until a few years ago the government heavily restricted internet access for fear of freedom of information and expression. Like their peers all over the world, they are enthusiastic about fashion, music, or technology. Raising their voices via digital media, they want to participate in their country’s social transformation. After Dina experiences an attempted sexual assault, she begins to dedicate her channel to women’s rights issues. Her political activism, however, provokes repercussions when Cuba experiences the biggest anti-government protests in decades.

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Film short abstract

La Tumba Mambi is a docu-fiction film based on the Tumba Francesa, La Caridad de Oriente, which is located in the city of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. The film follows a young 10-year old boy who seeks to know more about the Tumba Francesa, led by his grandmother.

Film long abstract

As a result of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), many French settlers travelled to Eastern Cuba with African enslaved people to escape the revolt. The Tumba Francesa Societies, which were known as a brotherhood and a mutual aid network, emerged from these waves of slave migrations. Eventually, they became integral constituents of Cuban culture. La Tumba Mambi is a docu-fiction film based on the Tumba Francesa, La Caridad de Oriente, which is located in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Through the Society’s youngest member, Flavio, who is collecting information about the Tumba Francesa for a school project, we meet his grand-mother Andrea and mother Queli, two charismatic knowledge keepers of their rich cultural traditions. The original film soundtrack composed and produced by Cuban based DJ Jigüe, in collaboration with Tumba Francesa members, is a rhythmic and striking reminder that the present is grounded in a history of struggles for freedom.

In 2023, La Tumba Mambi won the Best Award Ethnomusicology Film at the Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival (RAI) and the Jean Rouch Award offered by Society for Visual Anthropology.