It's been an epic journey
To make Cuba My Soul
There have been many ups and downs, breakdowns and breakthroughs since that first trip to Cuba in November 2016. But now I am thrilled to have made a film that truly respects and celebrates the extraordinary musicians.
In this video, you will get some insights as to why an Australian set off to Cuba to make his first ever film. What obstacles needed to be overcome? And what the Cubans want to accomplish with the film.
This clip includes some footage of the film as well as lots of behind the scenes bits - including the poignant moment when Castro's death was announced and the music stopped.
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Azotea
The rooftop
The Azotea was the rooftop of this building in Havana. We had to lug up all of the gear in a tiny elevator and steps for the last 2 floorsMy idea was to invite some of the musicians to come together and perform a concert with original music. That would be the X-Factor I was looking for! To bring the amazing artists that we’d been interviewing together to perform a concert that would form the soundtrack of the movie.
We ended up having two concerts as not long after we started filming the rain came and washed us out. Fortunately what we did get was just magical. It was an awesome location. It had an amazing 360 degree view.
Here is a short video about the making of that concert.
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Parque Lenin
An unique special place
I found this gem as a was looking for material for the website.
We were setting up for the concert at Parque Lenin. You can get a sense of the atmosphere full of joy and excitement.
Here is the wonderful video with Sonero Jose Rodriguez warming up. Enjoy!