Humberto Solás (4 December 1941 – 18 September 2008) was a Cuban

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

, credited with directing the film ''

Lucía ''Lucía'' is a 1968 Cuban black-and-white drama film directed by Humberto Solás, and written by Solás, Julio García Espinosa and Nelson Rodríguez (film writer), Nelson Rodríguez. It was the winner of the Golden Prize and the Prix Internation ...

'' (1968), which explored the lives of Cuban women during different periods in

Cuban history The history of Cuba is characterized by dependence on outside powers—Spain, the US, and the USSR. The island of Cuba was inhabited by various Amerindian cultures prior to the arrival of the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. Afte ...

. His cinematic style borrows from

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

's mise en scene and is permeated by sometimes heavy

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

. He started making

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...

at a very young age and directed his first medium length film ''Manuela'' in 1967. The success of this film led him to direct ''Lucía'', told in three stories in different moments of Cuban history, all seen through the eyes of a different woman named Lucia. Solás won 13 awards for filmmaking and been nominated for an additional nine. His 1968 film ''

'' won the Golden Prize and the Prix

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1985 film '' A Successful Man'' was entered into the 15th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1977 he was a member of the jury at the

10th Moscow International Film Festival The 10th Moscow International Film Festival was held 7-21 July 1977. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Hungarian film ''The Fifth Seal'' directed by Zoltán Fábri, the Spanish film '' El puente'' directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and the Sovi ...

. He twice served on the jury at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, in 1977 and

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

. In 2003, he founded Gibara's Poor Cinema Festival, "open to filmmakers with limited funds". Solás was awarded Cuba's

National Film Prize National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in 2005. Humberto Solás died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on September 18, 2008, at the age of 66.

Filmography

Solás directed twenty-four films, from '' La Huida'' in 1959 to '' Barrio Cuba'' and ''

Adela Adela may refer to: * ''Adela'', a 1933 Romanian novel by Garabet Ibrăileanu * ''Adela'' (1985 film), a 1985 Romanian film directed by Mircea Veroiu * ''Adela'' (2000 film), a 2000 Argentine thriller film directed and written by Eduardo Mign ...

'' in 2005, wrote twelve and produced one.Filmography
on IMDB The following is an incomplete filmography: *1958: '' La Huida'' *1963: '' El refrato'' (short)

Filmihullu ''Filmihullu'' (Finnish: ''Cinephile'') is a bimonthly film magazine published in Helsinki, Finland. It is the oldest magazine about films in the country which has been in circulation since 1968. History and profile ''Filmihullu'' was establishe ...

no 6/1970 p. 22 *1964: '' El Acoso'' (short) *1967: '' Manuela'' *1968: ''

'' *1972: '' Un dia de noviembre'' *1975: '' Cantata de Chile'' *1981: ''

Cecilia Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...

'' *1986: '' Un hombre de exito'' *1991: '' El siglo de las Luces'' *2001: '' Miel para Oshun'' *2005: '' Barrio Cuba'' *2005: ''

References

External links

*
The Independent: Humberto Solas: Director who told the stories of Cuba's struggles under Castro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solas, Humberto 1941 births 2008 deaths Cuban film directors Deaths from cancer in Cuba