The presentation will be on May 31 at 7:00 PM at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora (1200 Coral Wy, Miami, FL 33145), with free admission. This work is supported by ADN Cuba and Miami-Dade County.
Synopsis
Marcos Martínez is losing his memory. On his 80th birthday he sees his family arrive through a security camera, while he prepares a recipe for Imperial Rice. Marcos is alone in the infinite space of the kitchen. He knows that it is best to hold on to the past. Marcos’ gaze through the security camera reveals his deep longing and confronts him with a painful reality that he refuses to accept.
Background of the short film
Since 2020, our group Troop of Actors has been working on themes related to the elderly, as part of the Let the Silent Generation Speak project. The group is constantly researching and collecting stories, and we have been telling them through four stagings that have had a great impact on the stages of Miami.
Among the recurring themes in older adults is loneliness, memory loss and the disease most feared by everyone: Alzheimer’s.
Imperial rice now brings this experience to the big screen.
Director’s statement
All the resources I have to live are within the arts. Since I can remember, I have used the means of artistic expression to interact with the world, also to propose, criticize and help make visible the causes that I consider just. My career as a filmmaker and audiovisual artist had a turning point with my second migration to the United States, after having been successful with my debut opera, “Medardo”, in Ecuador. Although I initially found opportunities in theater in Miami, where I addressed topics such as old age, emigration, and Alzheimer’s, my passion for cinema never disappeared. “Arroz Imperial” represents a crucial milestone in my career, marking my return to the big screen. This short film is the first scene of a new sequence in my artistic life.
Biographer
MARCOS MIRANDA. PROTAGONIST
Marcos Miranda is a prominent radio, theater, television and film producer, director and writer, born in Havana, Cuba, on September 24, 1938. His career spans a wide range of roles in the entertainment industry, from his work in Cuban radio and television until his foray into cinema. On Cuban television, he stood out as a director of humorous programs such as “Detras de la Fachada”, during his years of work from 1965 to 1980. In the cinematographic field, he participated in films such as “Patty Candela”, “Mella” and “Aquella”. long night”, in addition to narrating documentaries such as “The Sixth Part of the World” and “Ethiopia”. On television, he worked as an actor in well-known soap operas and series, including “El Rostro de Anala”, “Pecados Ajenos” and “Ms Sabe el Diablo”. In Miami, he continued his career as a creator and host of television programs, in addition to working as a producer for important networks such as Univision and Telemundo. He currently hosts the program En el Marcos de Marcos and stars in the short film Arroz imperial.
NITSY GRADE. DIRECTOR
Nitsy Grau is a Cuban artist recognized for her work in playwriting, acting and directing in film, theater and television. Grau received her training in dramatic arts at the National School of Art and the University of the Arts in Havana.
His career took a significant turn in Ecuador, where he directed a variety of television formats for the Ecuavisa television channel from 1997 to 2015. His work included drama series, soap operas and documentaries. In 2015, she directed “Medardo”, his debut feature film, which received recognition and awards at several screenings, including the “ACE” and “Hola” awards in New York and the “La Iguana Dorada” award in Ecuador.
Since moving to Miami in 2016, Grau has led the non-profit organization “Troop of Actors”, where he has written and performed successful theater productions such as “Hansel y Graciela” and “Welcome grandmother”.
Her book, “Lady’s Hands and Other Splinters,” has been presented in multiple countries. She participated as an author in the Miami International Book Fair in 2019.
Since February 2022, Grau has worked as Director of Multimedia Content at ADN Cuba, where she produces, writes and audiovisual materials such as reports, news and interviews.
Some awards received:
– Mexico International Film Festival, Golden Palm Award for “Medardo”, 2016.
– ACE Latino Awards, New York, Opera Prima for “Medardo”, 2015.
– HOLA, Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors, New York, for “Medardo”, 2015.
– Iguana Dorada International Film Festival, Ecuador, Best Film filmed in Guayaquil, for “Medardo”, 2015.
– National Film Council of Ecuador, “Tic Tac” Short Film Award, 2008.
– ITV of Ecuador, Award for the Comedy Series “Super Papa”, 2007.
– International Latin American Film Festival, Cuzco-Per, on the official list with the short film “Identidad”, 2005.
– Latino Film Festival, Santa Cruz-California, First call for the short film “Identidad”, 2005.
– Audiencia Film Festival, Quito-Ecuador, for the short film “Identidad”, 2005.
– IMAGO Film Festival, Havana-Cuba, Best New Director for the documentary “Puntos Suspensivos”, 1997.
– Plaza Cine Festival ’97, Third Prize for the documentary “Puntos Suspensivos”, 1997.
LEOPOLDO MORALES. PRODUCER
Leopoldo Morales, producer originally from Camagey, Cuba, was born in 1955. He lived in Ecuador from 1997 to 2015 and has lived in Miami since then. He graduated from the Faculty of Performing Arts at the University of the Arts in Havana, Cuba. Morales worked as an actor and artistic director for the Mirn Cubano Theater Group in Matanzas, Cuba, from 1981 to 1984, and was a professor and director of the Department of Acting and Stage Direction at the National Theater School of Havana from 1986 to 1997. In Ecuador, he founded the School of Acting and Stage Direction at the ITV (Television Institute). Since his arrival in Miami in 2016, Morales has been involved as a director and producer in various artistic projects, including the project “Let the Silent Generation Speak,” which addresses issues relevant to older adults. His most recent work, “Hansel and Graciela”, addresses the topic of Alzheimer’s disease.
TECHNICAL SHEET IMPERIAL RICE
LIST:
Frames. Marcos Miranda
Gothic. Ren Alvarez
Alicia: Belkis Proenza
Lolita: Norma Miranda/Nitsy Grau
White: Teresa Proenza
Nancy: Oda Cardona
Amanda: Alejandra Garca
Orestes: Ángel García
Hilda: Aylin Silva
Carmen: Alis Garcia
Manolito: Guillermo Lavandera Cabr
Enrique: Ral Proenza
Paramedics:
Gabriela Sanchez
Manuel Romero
Leopoldo Morales
Written and directed by Nitsy Grau
Production and Art: Leopoldo Morales
Photographer: Raydel González and Alejandro Albuernes
Sound: Kylian Sánchez
Original music: Rey Pantoja, Hctor Eduardo Herrera and Charles Taylor
Lyrics Song of the Wind: Cristina Obn
Editing and post-production: Diana del Vecchio
Colorization: Alejandro Albuernes
Sound post-production: Charles Taylor
Field production: Guillermo Lavandera Cabr and Norma Miranda
Assistant director: Ariadna González
Production assistants: Elizabeth Kappes and Deneb Morales
Making of: Steven Salgado
Still photo: Alfredo Armas
A Troop of Actors production
With the support of
Miami Dade County
Cuba DNA
Ichtar Productions
FUENTE: Courtesy/Press release
