Bye Bye Havana is a 2005 fast-paced

stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver (physician), Daniel Ol ...

documentary that presents a vibrant portrayal of Cuban life. The film juxtaposes commercialism with vintage anti-communist propaganda and the elementary difficulties that everyday Cubans face. Directed by

J. Michael Seyfert J. Michael Seyfert (born 1959) is a German Mexicans, German Mexican documentary film director best known for the documentaries ''Rent a Rasta'' and ''Bye Bye Havana''. Among other awards, at the Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival, Sey ...

the film was shot and edited in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

over the course of 2 years. For its enduring images,

Carlos Alberto Montaner Carlos Alberto Montaner (born April 3, 1943) is an exiled Cuban author and journalist known for his criticism of Fidel Castro and the Cuban government. He has been published widely in Latin American newspapers, and published fiction and non-fic ...

Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

calls Seyfert's film "A colorful and sobering picture of the Cuba that Fidel has left behind".

Official Selections

Bye Bye Havana premiered in the United States on October 16, 2005 at 20th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and screened at numerous festivals around the world including on April 22, 2006

Cine Las Americas International Film Festival The Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Austin, Texas, featuring Latin American and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous films from the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. In its 14th year in ...

in Austin and 5th Annual Tiburon International Film Festival. On Dec 6th and 8th 2006 the film screened at

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF ( et, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIA ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. On February 21, 2007 Bye Bye Havana was broadcast four times on

Free Speech TV Free Speech TV (FSTV) is an American progressive news and opinion network. It was launched in 1995 and is owned and operated by Public Communicators Incorporated, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1974. Distributed princ ...

and Dish Satellite Channel 9415 and 150 community access cable stations reaching a potential audience of over 25 million people. The film was broadcast on Mongolia State TV and continues to figure prominently among post-revolutionary documentaries.

Awards

Best Post Production 2006

Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival The Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival (also called DocuFest Atlanta, Atlanta DocuFest, and DocuFest) is a film festival that screens documentary films in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Paul Mariano's ''Also Ran'' was named Best Poli ...

Soundtrack

Bye Bye Havana's soundtrack featuring hip hop and

afro-rock Afro rock is a style of rock music with West African influences. Afro rock bands and artists in the late 1960s and early 1970s included Osibisa, Assagai and Lafayette Afro Rock Band. Style The style relies on the use of rock string instruments ...

musician X Alfonso and Free Hole Negro, a hip hop

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

band, jazz pianist Roberto Carcasses and Cuban rapper and spoken-word artist Telmary. The film's theme song was composed and performed by the singer Francis Del Rio. Non-Cuban contributions were made by Roger Bunn, British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician who narrated the film and contributed three tracks from his posthumously released albu
Piece of Mind
featuring the

Netherlands Symphony Orchestra The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra () is a Dutch symphony orchestra. The home of the orchestra is the Muziekcentrum in Enschede. The orchestra was previously known in Dutch as Orkest van het Oosten (literal translation "Orchestra of the East"), ...

. American songwriter

T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...

's song Humans From Earth was recorded in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

by British indie pop band

The Flatmates The Flatmates, part of the mid-1980s British indie pop boom, were part of The Subway Organization, a Bristol record label formed by Martin Whitehead. Whitehead is also guitarist and main songwriter for the band. History Following the group's ...

produced by Paul Cooke, drummer and founding member of the British

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

band

SADE Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

. Cooke also co-produced a trance dub with London DJ Herbus K. Dubington of Lagrimas Negras a 1929

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

by the Cuban composer and singer

Miguel Matamoros The Trío Matamoros was one of the most popular Cuban trova groups. It was formed in 1925 by Miguel Matamoros (8 May 1894 in Santiago de Cuba – 15 April 1971; guitar), Rafael Cueto (14 March 1900 in Santiago de Cuba – 7 August 1991; gu ...

. The Cuban classic was used as a theme throughout the film in various interpretations including an acoustic guitarist and a nameless Cuban street violinist.

Reviews

* The Culture Trip "The Best Documentaries to Watch About Cuba" * inCUBAdora "Cuba Underground Guide" * DVD Talk Film Review * Academia.edu "El cine en español en los Estados Unidos" * Ramonet vs. Montaner: el gran debate sobre Cuba{{Cite web, url=http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/2824/ramonet-vs-carlos-a-montaner-un-gran-debate-sobre-cuba/, title=Ramonet vs. Montaner: el gran debate sobre Cuba en Noticias24.com, website=www.noticias24.com, access-date=2017-02-13, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220222122/http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/2824/ramonet-vs-carlos-a-montaner-un-gran-debate-sobre-cuba/, archive-date=2017-02-20, url-status=dead

External links

Bye Bye Havana on IMDBOfficial Site

References

2005 independent films 2005 films Culture in Havana Cuban musical films Culture of Cuba Latin America Films shot in Havana Films set in Cuba Documentary films about poverty Cuban documentary films 2000s Spanish-language films 2005 documentary films 2000s avant-garde and experimental films Documentary films about Cuba 2000s musical films Cuban avant-garde and experimental films