Building cultural bridges between the people of the United States and Cuba has been one of the purposes of the Minnesota Cuban Film Festival since its inception. The festival returned to Minneapolis for its seventeenth annual edition.
For Greg Klave of the Cuban Committee in Minnesota, an organization that participated in coordinating the seventeenth festival, this year’s event marked a long history of collaboration with the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Film Society.
In comments to Prensa Latina, Klave referred to the presentation of films by emerging directors—showcasing Cuban locations and actors—to a growing audience of Minnesota residents—who now wish to travel to the island—thanks to the support of this festival.
The festival’s closing night was attended by the head of the Cuban Mission to the United States, Ambassador Lianys Torres. “We are very pleased to have finally made this trip to Minnesota and to witness the solidarity with Cuba that exists here,” she said.
For the final screening of a month-long film series, the festival chose *The Mystery of Cuban Music: La Clave*, a documentary by Kurt Hartel that pays homage to the rich musical tradition of the Caribbean nation, which traces its roots back to Afro-Cuban culture and blends with African and European influences.
A special guest was Gloria Echevarría Portal, known in the music world as Gloria “La Niña” Rivera, who was accompanied by her trio.
She carries an impressive musical heritage in her blood, as her mother was a filin singer (a Spanish version of the English word “feeling”) in Cuba during the 1960s, and her father was Andrés Echevarría Callava, known as “El Niño Rivera,” a highly accomplished tres player, composer, and arranger.
El Niño was considered the “father of harmony on the tres” for his harmonic and sonic contributions to this instrument, essential to traditional Cuban music.
Since 2010, the Minnesota Cuba Film Festival (MCFF) has brought the best Cuban films to this Midwestern state, focusing on the achievements and challenges of the Cuban people.
“Thank you for making the 17th Minnesota Cuban Film Festival a success! We are deeply grateful to our audience, collaborators, sponsors, and volunteers for making it a wonderful celebration of Cuban cinema and culture,” the festival’s official website highlighted.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
