VIVA-CUBA-DOCUMENTARY

-- WORK IN PROGRESS--

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JANET JAZZ SINGER

HYPNOSIS HEAVY METAL BAND

CABARET DRESS REHERSAL

"VIVA CUBA!"

THE DOCUMENTARY

2009 PROMO

THE GULFSTREAM CHALLENGE

Cuba, the people and the country, is unlike anywhere else on Earth!

Viva Cuba!, an in depth documentary project spanning 10 plus years and capturing over 1200 hours of footage is unlike any cultural documentary to date.

As an American filmmaker, traveling to Cuba under the past and current U.S. restrictions, has been a long, complex journey encompassing the range of daunting obstacles and rich experiences resulting in long lasting Cuban friends and hours of rare film footage.

Over the years, it has taken courage and ingenuity traveling in and out of a 3rd world communist country and under heavy U.S. travel restrictions. In the early years, we often covertly sailed a 29’ sailboat or would fly through other countries in order to get there with all the video gear. Now after years of meeting so many great Cubans, creative, fun-loving and soulful, it is time for these deep cultural exchanges to be shown in the 6 hour mini-series documentary project VivaCuba! and “Cuban Soul - Life & Times of Cuban Culture” planned as a 13-week TV series.

Recently approved with Cuban film permits issued by the Institute of Radio and TV, (ICRT) the productions are taking place until April of 2016 , being captured in Sony 4K video and 3D.

What continues to drive me to complete these projects on Cuba is my commitment to the hundreds of Cuban people I have met that so desperately need a voice to tell their cultural story. A story of truly unique, intelligent, talented and unpretentious Cuban people. People who for generations have struggled to preserve their history, so rich in culture, family, art, music and life.

One big goal of my Cuba projects is to dispel the many myths often portrayed in the American press about Cuba and its people by showing their wide ranging talents in music, art, dance, education, science, medicine, bio-tech engineering, and living. Often self-taught and with very few resources, the Cuban people keep their culture not only alive, but leading edge and ever evolving, just as they hope their future on the island of Cuba will be.   When you watch these below videos of quick 1st pass edits, you truly connect with the perspectives and feelings of the Cuban people that are so strong in mind & spirit, amidst the pain of deprived living under isolation due to the U.S. economic embargo and U.S. Travel restrictions.

 Listen to "Janet-Jazz Singer", "Yasik-Trumpet Man" and "Cuban Dylan" for soul, Pedro, a self-taught street musician, and heavy metal band leader "Fannie", who started the band Hypnosis, with her $8,000 winning purse in women's karate during the Pan-American Games.    All music video edits on this site were given as free DVDs and CDs to the bands to make income and promote themselves. Final edits for these Music Videos for "Viva Cuba!" programming will include additional scenes of lifestyles, people and the musicians from interviews already captured or in productions in progress.

 The unique, moving and complex life stories of the people, including musicians, artists, craftsmen, writers, educators and more are what "Viva Cuba!" is all about ... Soon for the World to see and be amazed... Cuba and its people, one of the hidden gems of our world.    

Paul Prewitt 2015