Art Connects Cultures

Louisiana culture and Cuban culture are both so vibrant and have so much in common,” said Smith. “It’s a natural fit to connect our artists.

Earlier this year, Baton Rouge Film Commission executive director Amy Mitchell Smith was part of a delegation of five nationwide filmmakers selected by the Americas Media Initiative (AMI) to travel to Cuba for a special research and networking trip. The AMI is a national nonprofit focused on the distribution of independent and community media from Cuba, and it’s part of a growing movement in the United States to build bridges between the U.S. and the island nation. 

Louisiana culture and Cuban culture are both so vibrant and have so much in common,” said Smith. “It’s a natural fit to connect our artists.

As a result of Smith’s trip, the Baton Rouge Film Commission and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge have spearheaded a series of new projects between emerging and established filmmakers in Cuba and Louisiana. These projects include an ongoing video postcard exchange—the first of its kind in the U.S.—between La Belle Aire Elementary in Baton Rouge and students in western Cuba. It also includes the highly anticipated La Cuba Animation Exchange, which takes place this November at the Manship Theatre.  

When Smith, who has a background in acquiring and producing international films, traveled throughout rural and urban Cuban communities, she found a wealth of talent, rich partnership opportunities, and intense innovation. 

“It was really inspiring to meet all these different filmmakers who were doing unbelievable work,” said Smith.

Among them were students filmmakers in the town of La Conchita who are part of a community media project called Camara Chica, or “little camera.” Camera Chica is now actively participating in a video postcard exchange with La Belle Aire Elementary, a public elementary school with a high poverty population and a large community of students for whom English is a second language.

During her trip, Smith also connected with high profile filmmakers, including a brilliant self-taught animator, software designer, and university professor named Harold “Muke” Diaz-Guzman, who founded the animation collective Oniroma. She also met with award-winning young director Daniel Macebo Sarracent of ÑOOo Productions. 

These two Cuban animators will present at the November 10 La Cuba Animation Exchange, a one-day symposium that gathers high-level content creators from the two countries in one room to discuss their work and the often challenging circumstances under which it was created. Award-winning Moonbot Studios of Shreveport as well as other pioneering Louisiana filmmakers will also be visiting. 

Presentations will take place from 1 pm to 4 pm in the Manship Theatre, with panel discussions that will cover topics like the evolving field of animation, shareable technologies, and future partnerships. Drinks and networking are scheduled from 4 pm to 5 pm in the Manship Gallery. At 7:30 pm, Cuban jazz masters Manuel Valero and the New Cuban Express will perform in the Manship Theatre. 

The symposium is open to the public; visit manshiptheatre.org for additional details.