Palante

'Palante' came to fruition as part of a 10-day master class and workshop in Cuba with acclaimed director Werner Herzog as our teacher, or as he liked to be called: "Mi Coronel."

As one of his soldiers of cinema and the only filmmaker of Cuban-American descent, I saw this as a chance to return to my father’s homeland—the one he had forsaken since the mid-1950s because of political reasons—to tell an authentic story from my culture. Sixty years later, I saw Cuba through my own eyes and not as a tourist, but as a filmmaker, and that’s why it meant so much to me. With an immense amount of pressure to share a story worth telling, while at the same time making my family and fellow Cubans proud, I dedicated myself to making my short-film ‘Palante’ a success.

‘Palante’ was born out of a similar sacrifice I had endure by moving to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams and the aspirations of a better life. The film’s title and theme was inspired by my Cuban grandmother, Aleida, who would always console me with the words of “¡Pa’lante, Pa’lante!” which means keep moving forward.

Shot in the colorful town of San Antonio de los Baños, I let the environment tell the story. As we follow Estrella and her grandfather, we get a glimpse of the impoverished lifestyle many Cubans have had to endure in their day to day life for decades; lack of resources, broken, tarnished buildings and walls etc. Captured mostly through wide angle and handheld camera, I focused on highlighting the beauty and resilience of Cuban culture in contrast to that of their surroundings in each frame.

‘Palante’ has premiered and garnered multiple accolades from film festivals across the US and Europe, as well as media attention from former Univision reporter Maria Elena Salinas.