BAM to Present New Restoration of Sara Gómez's ONE WAY OR ANOTHER This Month

BAM will present a gorgeous new restoration of Afro-Cuban filmmaker Sara Gómez's radical narrative-documentary hybrid One Way or Another (1974) examining the interplay of race, gender, and class in Castro's Cuba. The first feature directed by a Cuban woman, the film charts the rocky romance between a teacher and a factory worker and serves as a reckoning with both the successes and shortcomings of the revolution. In Spanish with English subtitles. 2K digital restoration by Arsenal - Institut für Film und Videokunst in collaboration with Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC). A Janus Films release.

For two days only, BAM presents new restorations of four short films from Gómez that exemplify her commitment to capturing the diversity and specificity of those often forgotten by the historical record.

Short Film Descriptions:

Una isla para Miguel (1968) Dir. Sara Gómez. One of 12 children from a poor family in Havana, Miguel is one of thousands of young people sent to the Isla de Pinos during the Cuban Revolution in order to become "a new man." While capturing the dignity and vitality of Miguel and his family, Gómez offers a probing investigation of masculinity, self-determination, and an experiment of the Revolution. 22min. Scanned in 4K using the only surviving 35mm print by the Vulnerable Media Lab, Department of Film & Media of the Queen's University in Kingston (Canada). Restored in 2021 by Cineteca di Bologna at L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.

Guanabacoa: Crónica de mi familia (1966) Dir. Sara Gómez. An intimate portrait of Gómez's family and their city of Guanabacoa on the outskirts of Havana, this film remediates photographs and music recordings to create an archive of the family that is brought to life through the voices of women: Sara, her Madrina, and her Aunt Berta. 13min. Scanned in 4K using the only surviving 35mm print and restored by the Vulnerable Media Lab, Department of Film & Media of the Queen's University in Kingston (Canada).

Iré a Santiago (1964) Dir. Sara Gómez. With a vibrant musical soundtrack, Gómez portrays the city of Santiago de Cuba, connecting contemporary men and women to a past of slavery and resistance. 15min. Scanned in 4K using a 35mm print by the Vulnerable Media Lab, Department of Film & Media of the Queen's University in Kingston (Canada).

Mi aporte (1972) Dir. Sara Gómez. In 1972, the Federation of Cuban Women commissioned Gómez to make a film about women's contribution to the sugar harvest and, by extension, to the Revolution. The ensuing short-a series of testimonials and portraits of how difficult it is for women to contribute as full citizens due to machismo-was instead censored by the organization and has rarely been screened on or off the island. A 33 minute "report" on women's lives 13 years after the "triumph of the Revolution," Mi aporte is a model of feminist consciousness-raising documentary form: self-reflexive, critical, and direct. 33min. Scanned in 4K using the 35mm image and sound negatives and restored by the Vulnerable Media Lab, Department of Film & Media of the Queen's University in Kingston (Canada).

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