As part of Skyline College’s celebration of Latino Heritage Month, Latin American Students Organization, LASO, is proud to announce the screening of La Salsa Cubana as part of the San Francisco Latino Film Festival at Skyline College on September 26, 2013 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. in room 6202-4. LASO is also honored to welcome the film’s director, Eric Joseph Johnson, to the 1 p.m. screening for a discussion of the film, his exposure to Cuban culture, and his experiences making of the award winning film. Gladys Rocha, organizer of the SF Latino Film Festival, will also be on hand to discuss the impact of Latino films on the public in general.
La Salsa Cubana introduces the audience to a world filled with vibrant dancing, fascinating relationships, terrific music, and sumptuous Cuban imagery shot on location in Havana. With a soundtrack that features music from some of Cuba’s all-time greatest musical legends licensed from the state-run music company catalogs of EGREM and BIS Music, this film is an insider’s look into the contemporary salsa dance scene in Havana rarely seen outside of Cuba. La Salsa Cubana is the first feature film to explore and explain Cuba’s de facto national dance, known as casino or Cuban salsa, since it appeared in Havana social clubs during the 1950s.
In 2003, Director Eric Joseph Johnson quit his corporate job to study dance and live in Cuba. Director Sarita Streng initiated the film project and the filmmakers obtained a rare license from the US Department of Treasury as well as journalistic visas from the Cuban government allowing a crew to travel to Cuba to make the film. The filmmakers have spent extensive time in Cuba cultivating connections and building the inside knowledge of Cuban culture that made this film possible.
You can view the film’s trailer at http://vimeo.com/45815865
Article by John Saenz
Flyer created by Skyline College’s Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations Office
