by Alysa Nahmias, Benjamin Murray, Cuba / USA 2011, 86'
| FOTOGRAFIA: Benjamin Murray | PRODUTTORI: Alysa Nahmias, Benjamin Murray | |
| MONTAGGIO: Kristen Nutile, Alex Minnick | PRODUZIONE: Ajna Film | |
| MUSICA: Giancarlo Vulcano |
Presented at Lo schermo dell'arte 2012
In 1961, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara commissioned three young architects – Riccardo Porro, Vittorio Garatti and Roberto Gottardi – to design and build the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte in Havana. The schools were to have been dedicated to the plastic arts, dramatics, dance and music. But the ambitious, visionary project for what was to have been “the world’s most beautiful art academy”, built on the grounds of the Cubanacan Country Club, was interrupted in 1965 and never finished. Filmed between Cuba, Venice, Milan and Paris, the film documents the story of the art schools through archival footage and the testimonies of the architects, several of their collaborators and of students who, in the 60s and afterwards, attended courses there. It’s also a reconstruction of the schools’ vicissitudes up to our time. They’ve recently been rediscovered and internationally recognized as an architectural masterpiece of the revolutionary period. The Cuban government has invited the three designers to complete their project.
Alysa Nahmias
She holds a Masters degree in architecture (M.Arch) from Princeton University and a B.A. from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and has received numerous grants and awards from government agencies and private foundations. Nahmias is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the International Documentary Association, the Independent Feature Project and Women Make Movies. Is founder and executive director of Ajna Films.
Benjamin Murray
Holds a BFA in Film and Television Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Started his post production company, The Room, in 2010 and currently partners with Technicolor. His regular clients include major networks and numerous independent production companies.
Selected Filmography
www.unfinishedspaces.com
In 1961, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara commissioned three young architects – Riccardo Porro, Vittorio Garatti and Roberto Gottardi – to design and build the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte in Havana. The schools were to have been dedicated to the plastic arts, dramatics, dance and music. But the ambitious, visionary project for what was to have been “the world’s most beautiful art academy”, built on the grounds of the Cubanacan Country Club, was interrupted in 1965 and never finished. Filmed between Cuba, Venice, Milan and Paris, the film documents the story of the art schools through archival footage and the testimonies of the architects, several of their collaborators and of students who, in the 60s and afterwards, attended courses there. It’s also a reconstruction of the schools’ vicissitudes up to our time. They’ve recently been rediscovered and internationally recognized as an architectural masterpiece of the revolutionary period. The Cuban government has invited the three designers to complete their project.
Alysa Nahmias
She holds a Masters degree in architecture (M.Arch) from Princeton University and a B.A. from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and has received numerous grants and awards from government agencies and private foundations. Nahmias is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the International Documentary Association, the Independent Feature Project and Women Make Movies. Is founder and executive director of Ajna Films.
Benjamin Murray
Holds a BFA in Film and Television Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Started his post production company, The Room, in 2010 and currently partners with Technicolor. His regular clients include major networks and numerous independent production companies.
Selected Filmography
2011 Unfinished Spaces
www.unfinishedspaces.com