Juan Carlos Tabío (3 September 1943 – 18 January 2021) 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 ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. His film ''

Strawberry and Chocolate ''Strawberry and Chocolate'' ( es, Fresa y chocolate) is a 1993 internationally co-produced film, directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, based on the short story "The Wolf, The Forest and the New Man" (in Spanish, ''El Lobo, e ...

'' (1994), which he co-directed with

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (; December 11, 1928 – April 16, 1996) was a Cuban film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed more than twenty features, documentaries, and short films, which are known for his sharp insight into post-Revolu ...

, won a Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the

44th Berlin International Film Festival The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1994. The Golden Bear was awarded to British-Irish film ''In the Name of the Father'' directed by Jim Sheridan. The retrospective dedicated to Austrian director, ...

, and was also nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. He has collaborated with director and close friend

and actors

Jorge Perugorría Jorge Perugorría Rodríguez (aka "Pichi," born 13 August 1965) is a Cuban actor, film director and painter. He is well known for his part as Diego in ''Strawberry and Chocolate'' (original title in Spanish ''Fresa y chocolate'' (co-directed by ...

Vladimir Cruz Vladimir Cruz Marrero (born 26 July 1965) is a Cuban actor, screenwriter, playwright, film and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in the film '' Strawberry and Chocolate'' (1994). Career Cruz made his acting debut on the st ...

and Mirta Ibarra in several films. His 2000 film, '' Lista de Espera'', was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

2000 Cannes Film Festival The 53rd Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 25 May 2000. French film director, screenwriter, and producer Luc Besson was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film ''Dancer in the Dark'' by Lars von Trier. The fe ...

Biography

Juan Carlos Tabío was born in 1943 in Havana, Cuba. Although his illustrious filmmaking career spanned nearly three decades, his initial involvement in the genre came as an accident. When he was young, his parents prepared him for a career in politics. It was not until a family friend who worked for the national cinemagraphic society invited him to work on a film that Tabío gave filmmaking a thought as a career. Juan Carlos Tabío began working in 1961 at the ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry) as a production assistant, then as assistant director. Between 1963 and 1980, he produced more than 30 documentaries. His first feature film (''Se Swap'') was released in 1983. Tabío then taught screenwriting and filmmaking at the International School of Film and Television of San Antonio de los Baños between 1989 and 1990. Tabío’s films are mostly comedies starring the people and places in Cuba. Using Cuba as an actor in and of itself allows him to both highlight the joys of the

Cuban culture The culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contradicting, factors and influences. The Cuban people and their customs are based on European, African and Amerindian influences. Music The music of Cuba, including the instruments a ...

while also create a running social commentary on its flaws. Juan Carlos Tabío was rewarded for his work on several occasions and received the

Goya Awards The Goya Awards ( es, Premios Goya) are Spain's main national annual film awards, commonly referred to as the Academy Awards of Spain. The awards were established in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sc ...

including Best Foreign Language Film for ''Fresa y Chocolate'' (''Strawberry and Chocolate''). In 2000 he directed ''The Waiting List'', which tells the humorous story of a group of passengers waiting for a bus that will never appear. The use of humor and realistic dialogue takes the edge off of Tabío’s social commentary and illustration of the problems Cuba faces. Juan Carlos Tabío demonstrated once again his penchant for the satirical comedy with the release of his latest feature film, ''The Cornucopia''.

Films

*2012 '' 7 days in Havana'' *2008 '' Horn of Plenty'' *2003 ''Aunque estés lejos'' *2000 '' Lista de Espera'' (Waiting List) *1998 ''Enredando sombras'' (documentary) *1998 ''Lorca en La Habana'' (TV short) *1995 ''

Guantanamera "Guantanamera" (; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantánamo) is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The official writing credits ...

'' *1994 ''El elefante y la bicicleta'' *1993 ''

Fresa y Chocolate ''Strawberry and Chocolate'' ( es, Fresa y chocolate) is a 1993 internationally co-produced film, directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, based on the short story "The Wolf, The Forest and the New Man" (in Spanish, ''El Lobo, e ...

'' (Strawberry and Chocolate) *1988 ''Demasiado miedo a la vida o Plaff'' *1987 ''La entrevista'' (short) *1986 ''Dolly back'' (short) *1984 ''Se permuta'' *1975 ''

Sonia Silvestre Sonia Silvestre (16 August 1952 – 19 April 2014) was a Dominican singer from San Pedro de Macorís. She was married to the broadcaster, producer and host Yaqui Núñez del Risco. After they divorced, Silvestre moved to Mexico, where she re ...

'' (short) *1974 ''Chicho Ibáñez'' (documentary short) *1974 ''Soledad Bravo'' (documentary short) *1973 ''Miriam Makeba'' (short)

Bibliography

* Juan-Navarro, Santiago. “Brecht en La Habana: autorrefencialidad, desfamiliarización y cine dentro del cine en la obra de Juan Carlos Tabío”. ''Le cinéma cubain: identité et regards de l’intérieur''. Ed. Sandra Hernández. Nantes: Centre de Recherche sur les Identités Nationales et l´Interculturalité - Université de Nantes, 2006. 125-135
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References

External links

*
Havana Cultura
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabio, Juan Carlos 1943 births 2021 deaths Cuban film directors Cuban screenwriters Cuban male writers Male screenwriters People from Havana