Afibola is an afrofeminist and queer activist, trying to teach their son Olorun how to grow up to be a free black man, despite the obstacles around them. In the intimacy of their community home spaces, they reflect on the difficulty of educating a black child in a racist and discriminatory society. The film has won the Principal Prize of the International Jury at the 69th Oberhausen Short Film Festival.

Interview with Director/Producer Gretel Marín Palacio

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to actively reflect on the current racism in Cuban society, imagining ways of healing through the connection between members of an Afro-Cuban queer community.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This film translates in a sensitive and poetic way a subject that can be lacerating for Afro-Cuban communities, from a perspective that appeals to the aesthetic rigor of representation.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

For me, it was very important that the characters participated in the construction of the film. Precisely because the narration of their experience was vital. Although the dialogues were about suggested themes, they were improvised, coming directly from their feelings. The exchange was very profound. Then there is a whole aesthetic construction that we kept from the initial idea. We emphasized the beauty of the black bodies and their presence in the spaces where the characters live.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has varied greatly. I am moved by how Afro-Cuban people perceive and see themselves reflected in the film. Also, there are people who don't understand it at first, because they have had little exposure to the issue of racism in Cuba. They continue in the same denial that happens on a broader structural level. However, I think it has been moving from any perspective, because of the particularity of the relationship of this mother with her son and the way it is represented on screen.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Yes, I found the film to be more necessary than I thought.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I just want visibility for the film and its characters.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Mainly distributors and sales agents. Roads of lava has had a good run at festivals and now we can move on to other platforms.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Above all, I would like to generate a collective debate about the place that racialized people occupy in society and also to raise awareness about the respect that every human being deserves, regardless of their origin, skin color or sexual orientation.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How can black people defend their identity in everyday life?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am working on projects mainly related to identity and migration in the Cuban context.

Interview: February 2024

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Camino de Lava (Roads of Lava)

Length: 27:58

Director: Gretel Marín Palacio

Producer: Gretel Marín Palacio

Writer: Gretel Marín Palacio

About the writer, director and producer:

GRETEL MARIN PALACIO is a Cuban-born documentary filmmaker and producer who delves through her films into the controversial society in which she grew up. The Last Country (feature; Malaga, Rio de Janeiro, 2018) is an intimate portrait of the hope of a people adrift from regional politics. She earned a BFA in film directing from the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana and a Master's degree in documentary filmmaking from the University Paris VII Diderot in France. She worked as a filmmaker and editor at the Angolan production company Geração 80 Produções and is the creator of several documentaries on human rights in Angola for the Mosaiko Institute. Her latest short documentary Camino de Lava, about the challenges of being a black and queer mother in her country, recently won the award for best short film at MiradasDoc and the international jury prize at the 69th Oberhausen Film Festival.

Key cast: Afibola Sifunola (protagonist), Olorun Sile (protagonist)

Looking for: sales agents, distributors

Hashtags used: 3blackfamily, #queer, #racisminCuba

Other: Vimeo

Funders: GoCuba Fund, Instar