CINE LIBRE

In 1959, after overthrowing the dictator Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro unleashed a cultural revolution. Some of the greatest names in European cinema travelled to Cuba to collaborate with young Cuban filmmakers, including the crew of La Dolce Vita filming for Che Guevara, Joris Ivens training guerrillas to film their fights, and Cesare Zavattini blocking arms traffic.

Major Hollywood distribution companies were banished, and films by international auteurs such as Fellini, Bergman, Truffaut, Kurosawa, Bunel, and Losey replaced commercial movies. However, the revolution also prohibited all forms of publicity, including traditional movie posters. A group of young graphic artists reinvented thousands of these posters using a new visual language, giving birth to the Carteles de Cine.  Today, a talented group of Cuban artists is creating a graphic novel dedicated to the history of the Carteles de Cine. The novel will feature comics pages, archival photos and film materials, and stories from modern graphic artists and old masters alike. Through this project, we can relive an exceptional and previously untold story of art, cinema, and revolution in Cuba.