By Francisco G. Navarro
Cienfuegos, Cuba, Nov 25 (Prensa Latina) US filmmaker Paul Irmiter is shooting today in this southern city the final stages of his documentary Closer than you think, about a binational cultural project.
Irmiter told Prensa Latina that the documentary -which lasts over an hour- shows the exchange between artists from Cuba and the United States grouped around the nonprofit organization US Cuba Artist Exchange, founded in April 2002 by activist Mariessa Ryan.
Apart from Cienfuegos, 250 kilometers southeast of the capital, other Cuban locations for the documentary are Havana, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba, to which several cities in the northern states of Minnesota and Wisconsin are added.
In the documentary, Irmiter tries to show the joint work of fine artists and Cuban and US musicians during three tours organized by US Cuba Artist Exchange along this year, one of which was for Cuban artists in the neighboring country.
The scenes filmed in the Straits of Florida show the impressions of the creators, the exchange with communities and the hybridization of the binational team that already has more than fifteen members, including visual artists, musicians and filmmakers.
The producer explained that he is shooting the final sequences and is already working on editing and post-production, as well as on the translation of testimonies, with the intention of having the documentary finished early next spring.
When he was asked about the previous preparation to take this work, he specified that he tried by all means not to defile himself before coming to Cuba, he did not read any books on the subject, since he preferred to be surprised by reality.
Once the final touch is given, another difficult stage approaches, participating in festivals which can then open the door to other presentation platforms.
The premier must take place in Minneapolis before mid 2015.
A dream of the creator would be to display Closer than you think at the Havana New Latin American International Film Festival next year.
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