Photo: Jorge Luis Borges
Text: Cuba News 360 Writing
The Cuban actress Giselle Lominchar decided to continue the paths of audiovisual direction for the second time with “#HABANALIKE”. This time he went to the world of social networks, Wi-Fi parks, the “private” Internet connection in Cuba, cyberbullying, privacy, gender violence and much more, from a kind of absurdity as real as life itself. on the island.
Giselle tells this story from a Wi-Fi park in Havana, where four young people alienated from everyday life navigate the virtual world through their profiles and who will quickly come into conflict with the reality that surrounds them and with that image they want to project to others. the rest.
La Chica Pandora, Yusy, Papito, Coqui, El Hippie Come Flores, and Couch Surfing are some of the characters proposed by Giselle and played by young actors such as Amelia Fernández, Milton García, Ingrid Lobaina, César Domínguez, Natali Rodríguez and David Pereira . In addition, the renowned actresses Paula Alí and Maikel Amelia, the film director Fernando Pérez and Lominchar herself take part.
This is how the plot is sustained by a girl who wants to be an influencer and famous, a young woman who maintains a toxic relationship with her partner, the one who seeks to attract the attention of her social media crush, the person in charge of the connection in the Wi-Fi park, the cyborg artist discriminated against, and the foreign girl who has a special relationship with her host and is very curious about the Cuban reality.
Between them they will create this skein of conflicts as incredible as everyday that Giselle has been able to bring to the screens from her own experience and that a few days ago could be appreciated at the Chaplin Cinema in Havana enjoying great acceptance.
Cuban News 360 spoke with the artist about this experience that has brought her much joy and that continues to encourage her to tell stories from the island.
Why did you decide to do #HABANALIKE?
I decide to write the script and film it based on my own conflicts about the use of social networks and accepting myself as a personal brand, at the beginning of opening my profiles. When investigating, I discovered that it was a feeling shared with other users who saw themselves reflected and it seemed interesting to me to address current issues where Cuban youth, above all, are more susceptible to these issues, in a country where we went from having practically no internet to boom of the networks A very strong transition when other countries were already warning about the use of the Internet and networks.
How much reality and fiction does the short have?
The short for me has a lot of reality and plays with absurd situations but that we can find in the daily life of our island as is the case of Coqui, a character who is inside a bathtub in the middle of the Wi-Fi park. I took this from a neighbor of mine who did it to cool off.
There are also characters that we may find strange like the cyborg, that I was inspired by real guys like Neil Harbisson and Manel de Aguas who collaborated with us in the research process. Who says that tomorrow doesn’t really exist cyborg Cuban?
You are also an actress, how was the experience of going on to direct actors?
I have a cameo in the short, which is like a monologue and is part of the reflection and even a game with myself. Working with the actors was one of the things I enjoyed the most in the process. We had a lot of rehearsals, including on location. It was a joint process with each one in the search and creation of the characters, both psychologically and physically, which was very important.
Do you intend to continue directing work?
Clear! #HABANALIKE was my second short and I have already written another one during my postpartum period about maternity.
Any anecdote you want to tell about the filming process and the premiere?
The filming, although it may not seem like it, was very stressful at the production level. We were tight because we shot during the pandemic and we had to reduce everything to two days of filming.
Everything happened to us, a camera broke that Wajiros Films immediately knew how to get us out of trouble, it rained heavily… but in the end I think it gave a more dramatic touch to those final scenes and we knew how to take advantage of it very well I think. The whole team was very focused, that’s why I think it came out, for a moment the circumstances seemed to threaten us and we weren’t going to be able to finish filming.
They also gave us a lot of support in state companies such as Cervecería Bucanero SA and Ciego Montero, as well as in private businesses such as Mandao, Innatus, Tarecolandia, Wasasa, Giorgio Online, Orozuz, who saved us with costumes, snacks and even meals from scenes that also reflect their advertising in the virtual world. So it was very intentional.
How was the reception of the public that has been able to see it in the cinema?
I am very happy because the public has understood it and liked it. She listened to their laughter and at the end they left commenting. And the young people immediately shared on networks and wrote to us giving us their congratulations. I think we are all very happy and grateful.
Is your short a reflection of today’s Cuba?
Yes, although I wrote it a few years ago and it was filmed during the pandemic, it does reflect what we see on the networks. Perhaps Wi-Fi parks are no longer used as much, but situations such as physical and virtual harassment are part of our daily lives.