Mildrey Ponce Cubanow) interviews the director of new Cuban documentary, La novia de Akira [Akira’s Bride], Mariam García Alan. Now in postproduction process, the documentary is the only Japanese-Cuban co-production in the island’s film history. Ponce writes:

Directed by young moviemaker Mariam Garcia Alan, this material was produced by the Impulso Audiovisual Creation Group, and had the support of Cuba’s National Video Movement and the Japan Foundation. La novia de Cuba was co-produced by the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) in 1968, when the Cuban Revolution was in vogue throughout the world. Seven Japanese artists and the same amount of Cubans worked on this film directed by Kazuo Kuroki, which were enough to shoot a road movie throughout the island with minimum resources, hence that García used statements, documents and reflections about the production of that film in this material, with the main Cuban participants on the screen. [. . .]

When did the idea for the project emerge? What motivated you and how was the development process?

It all started a year ago from a conversation with professor and cinema specialist Mario Piedra, who in 2006 had the first reference of the film La novia de Cuba, when its director, Kazuo Kuroki, died. At that time he realized that the film was not known in Cuba, since it seemed that it wasn’t registered as part of the production of the ICAIC and none of the Cuban Cinema specialists he knew had any reference about the film. Mario told me about the possibility of investigating the topic together in order to write an article, and I found it very interesting, because since the two of us were Japanese culture lovers we were very curious to see the results of the look of a Japanese director at that time in Cuba. And that’s how it all began, out of historical curiosity more than anything else.

There was virtually no piece of information about the movie at the ICAIC, basically the names of the Cuban producer and the actress, although there were a few references at the film library on the screening in 1967 of the first film by Kuroki, El silencio sin alas (Silence without wings). Anyway, we managed to locate producer Orlando de la Huerta and from there we began to reconstruct the story. Although I didn’t think of a documentary at the beginning, as research progressed, we discovered interesting details, especially when we found the actress, who was not a professional and never worked in cinema again.

We are talking about the 1960’s…. and about the only Japanese-Cuban co-production in history. Showing the meeting point between the cinemas of the two nations was the idea? What do you think is the main contribution of this work?

During the first decade of the ICAIC there was much collaboration with filmmakers from around the world which are practically known only by film specialists. The best known are the co-productions made in the early years, particularly Soy Cuba, by Mikhail Kalatosov, but in general they are productions that had little success on the island and except the co-production with the USSR, none of them transcended enough to be known 40 years later. For my generation these productions are practically unknown and are only part of books and historical summaries on Cuban cinema.

What is special about La novia de Cuba as compared to others? What could be its contribution to our cinema or as a meeting point between the two nations? Some of these questions are answered in the documentary, since I not only interviewed those involved in the production, but also looked for other criteria that would enrich the internal and personal view of those involved. I guess the critical assessments about the material will be given by others in due time, and I think they will be sharply divided.

The film sparks off different reactions, from total rejection to certain nostalgia. For me this production is very interesting because it offers the vision of a Japanese filmmaker in a very special moment of our history, and also the film itself seems to be one of the first direct referents the Japanese had about Cuba and the Revolution in a time when there was no Internet or satellite TV.

For original article and interview, see http://www.cubanow.net/pages/articulo.php?sec=8&t=2&item=9843

Also see http://cine-latino.blogspot.com/2011/06/la-novia-de-akira-un-amor-del-sol.html