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Screening with short film Being Cuban.
Opening with haunting, ghostly archival footage of young prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso receiving an ovation after performing her signature role of Giselle before segueing into a breathtaking montage of Alonso, National Ballet of Cuba principal dancer Viengsay Valdes and teenage ballet student Amanda De Jesus Perez Duarte each performing a pirouette (or in the case of the young upstart, valiantly trying), Horizons is a stirring, lyrical portrait of the lives of three Cuban women who are each wholly and completely dedicated to the art of ballet.
Only the second documentary from Swiss writer/director Eileen Hofer, this finely drawn labor of love is a poetic intergenerational glimpse into the life of a now 94 year-old living legend as she surrounds herself with memories of an unparalleled career while maintaining her role as a stern, unwavering mentor; of an acclaimed prima ballerina in the prime of her life yet one growing keenly aware of the fragility of her body; and of a young upstart struggling to rise through the ranks while searching for her voice.
Título: Horizontes
Horizontes es el lírico retrato de las vidas de tres mujeres cubanas dedicadas al arte del ballet- una leyenda viviente de 94 años que se rodea de recuerdos; una afamada prima bailarina en la cúspide de su carrera y sin embargo perspicazmente consciente de la fragilidad de su cuerpo, y una joven principiante luchando para ascender en las filas de la danza y para encontrar su voz propia.
Press
"An almost spiritual celebration of classical ballet... 'Horizons' pays tribute to the discipline and dedication it takes to dance."- Variety
Screening with Short Film
Being Cuban
2015 | 4 min | Documentary | Cuba | English, Spanish
With Spanish, African, Chinese and no surviving indigenous roots, what is it to be Cuban?
Director(s): Quinton Simmonds, Cameron Stine | Producer(s): Cheri Gaulke, Jeff MacIntyre, Alethea Paradis | Writer(s): Quinton Simmonds, Cameron Stine | Cinematographer(s): Quinton Simmonds, Cameron Stine, Jeff MacIntyre | Editor(s): Quinton Simmonds, Cameron Stine | Composer(s): Killer Tracks | School: Harvard-Westlake School