Juan Carlos Tabío (3 September 1943 – 18 January 2021) was a Cuban

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. His film ''

Strawberry and Chocolate ''Strawberry and Chocolate'' () is a 1993 comedy-drama film, directed by Cuban filmmakers Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, based on the short story "The Wolf, the Forest and the New Man" (in Spanish, ). Senel Paz wrote the short s ...

'' (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. Gutiérrez Alea wrote and directed more than twenty features, documentaries, and short films, which are known for his sharp insight i ...

, 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. British producer Jeremy Thomas was the Jury President for the Main Competition. The Golden Bear was awarded to ''In the Name of the Father'', directed by ...

. He 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 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 ...

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 ...

and Mirta Ibarra in several films. His 2000 film, '' The Waiting List (Lista de Espera)'', was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; '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 with unusua ...

section at the

2000 Cannes Film Festival The 53rd Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2000. French filmmaker Luc Besson was the Jury President for the main competition. Virginie Ledoyen was the mistress of ceremonies. Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier won the ''Palme d'Or'' ...

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 and then later as an assistant director. Between 1963 and 1980, he produced more than 30 documentaries. His first feature film (''Se Swap'') was released in 1983. Tabío 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. History Music The music of Cuba, including the ...

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 () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...

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''.

''Strawberry and Chocolate''

The film ''

'' was a stand out film for both directors Juan Carlos Tabio and

. This was one of the stand out films from both directors that was able to allow the to win awards. This film was one of the first Cuban films to gain a lot of acknowledgement by the mainstream. It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

under best foreign language film. This recognition really allowed

Cuban cinema Cinema arrived in Cuba at the beginning of the 20th century. Before the Cuban Revolution of 1959, about 80 full-length films were produced in Cuba. Most of these films were melodramas. Following the revolution, Cuba entered what is considered th ...

to get put on the map, and to be respected in the world of filmmaking. This film garnered much of its attraction due to the topics and themes that this film covered. This film is rendered as a critique on Cuba and their revolutionary values. This gets challenged in the film by using subjects such as homosexuality to explore the idea of what it means to be a revolutionary in Cuba. This film was made and produced during the

Special Period The Special Period (), officially the Special Period in the Time of Peace (), was an extended period of economic crisis in Cuba that began in 1991 primarily due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Comecon. The economic depression o ...

. A time where Cuba's economy took a serious downfall due to the fall of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. This period of time in Cuba's history meant struck a downfall in the economy, labor, and also production of films. Production dropped significantly to around three feature length films per year. The only way possible to produce films was through the practice of co-productions. ''Strawberry and Chocolate'' fell into the category of co-produced films. Due to this the production budget of the film was very low. However, the biggest issue of production wasn't the lack of money, rather director Tomas Gutierrez Alea falling ill with cancer, and needing to undergo surgery. Due to this Juan Carlos Tabio was brought in to co direct the film.

Films

*1973 - ''Miriam Makeba'', short *1974 - ''Chicho Ibáñez'', documentary short *1974 - ''Soledad Bravo'', documentary short *1975 - ''Sonia Silvestre'', short *1984 - ''Se permuta'' *1986 - ''Dolly back'', short *1987 - ''La entrevista'', short *1988 - ''Demasiado miedo a la vida o Plaff'' *1993 - ''

(Fresa y Chocolate)'' *1994 - '' The Elephant and the Bicycle (El elefante y la bicicleta)'' *1995 - ''

Guantanamera "" (; ) is a Cuban patriotic song, which uses a poem from the collection ''Simple Verses'', by the Cuban poet José Martí, for the lyrics. It is an expression of love for Cuba and of solidarity with the poor people of the world. The official ...

'' *1998 - ''Enredando sombras'', documentary *1998 - ''Lorca en La Habana'', TV short *2000 - '' The Waiting List (Lista de Espera)'' *2003 - ''Aunque estés lejos'' *2008 - '' Horn of Plenty (El cuerno de la abundancia)'' *2012 - '' 7 Days in Havana (7 días en La Habana)''

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

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Havana Cultura
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabio, Juan Carlos 1943 births 2021 deaths Cuban film directors Cuban screenwriters Cuban male screenwriters Mass media people from Havana