— by CHERRY BELL DAMASCO-FARRINGTON —
“7 Days In Havana” is a collaboration of three film houses — Full House, Morena Films and Havana Club International — in which the city’s cultural background is explored by seven international directors.
Each of the directors adds a bit of personal flavor and style to the film and in this two-minute trailer, we are able to see the diversity in each director’s vision.
The concept from the official press release:
- “7 Days in Havana” is a snapshot of Havana in 2011. It is a contemporary portrait of the city, both timeless and looking to the future, through a feature movie made of 7 chapters directed by seven international directors: Benicio del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Laurent Cantet, Elia Saluiman, Juan Carlos Tabío, Gaspar Noé and Julio Medem.
The directors were invited to be involved in this project with a common purpose: to capture, through their different sensibilities, origins and cinematographic styles, the warmth and intensity that make the city unique. For del Toro, this will be his first time behind the camera but based upon his career in front of it, we are sure to have quite an experience.
Each chapter is a day in the week, throughout the daily and extraordinary lives of the different characters. Far from the touristic clichés, this film is meant to express the soul of the city and its diverse neighborhoods, atmospheres, generations and cultures, in a touching, entertaining and funny style.
All seven stories have independent plots, but the many connections between them help to create a powerful dramatic unity. Shared locations play their part: emblematic Havana landmarks like the beach or the Hotel Nacional form the backdrop for some of the chapters. Several characters appear in more than one story — a protagonist in one chapter plays a secondary role in another — subtly connecting the narratives and demonstrating that in Havana all social spheres run parallel, intertwine and intersect at various times of the week.
The film breaks down in the following way:
- “El Yuma” (Monday, Director: Benicio Del Toro)
“Jam Session” (Tuesday, Director: Pablo Trapero)
“La tentadión de Cecilia” (Wednesday, Director: Julio Médem)
“Diary of a Beginner” (Thursday, Director: Elia Suleiman)
“Ritual” (Friday, Director: Gaspar Noé)
“Dulce amargo” (Saturday, Director: Juan Carlos Tabío)
“La fuente” (Sunday, Director: Laurent Cantet)
Watch the first official trailer for the film below:
Of the cast, we see one of the “The Hunger Games” trifecta, Josh Hutcherson, as young American tourist Teddy Atkins who travels to Havana for the first time. He is joined by Emir Kusturica, Alexander Abreu, Daniel Brühl, Melvis Estévez, Leonardo Benitez, Elia Suleiman, Sebastian Barruso, Othello Rensoli, Cristela Herrera, Dunia Matos, Mirta Ibarra, Jorge Perugorría, Beatriz Dorta, Natalia Amore and Alexis Vidal.
At this point, there is no official word on a U.S. release, but the film is set to debut in the Netherlands on July 18 and in Belgium on Aug. 15.
For more information on the film, visit www.7daysinhavana.com.
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