Suite Havana (Suite Habana, 84”, 2003, Fernando Pérez)
Tuesday, 6 December 2011 18:30-20:30
CLM.5.02, Clement House, LSE, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE
The film starts as dawn breaks and Havana wakes up to a new day. Havana is still a point of reference for many, a mystery for some and a reverie full of contrasts and contradictions for those who either love or loathe it. But Havana is not simply a space, a particular tone of voice or quality of light. Havana is above all, the people that inhabit that space. "Suite Habana" shows a day in the lives of ten ordinary habaneros. There are no interviews, no dialogues and no narration: just images, sound and music to express in purely cinematic terms the everyday existence of some very peculiar and unique realities. Each character is a representative of the wonderful diversity of the different social groups that move about the city. Because there is not one single Havana but many invisible Havanas, each with its very characteristic lifestyle.
After the film, there will be a Question and Answer session with Professor Michael Chanan.
Michael Chanan, professor at University of Roehampton, is a documentary film maker who also writes on both film and music. His most recent film is The American Who Electrified Russia (2009, 105mns). His latest book, The Politics of Documentary, was published by the BFI in 2007. He has a range of special interests, including Latin American cinema, documentary, the film soundtrack, and the social history of music. For more information about his work please see his web site|.