Salut les Cubains

Agnès Varda visited Cuba in 1963, four years after the revolution. In this film, she shows the 4,000 black-and-white photos she took during that trip. Like many French artists of the time, Varda was charmed by the revolutionary idealism and socialism in Cuba. This photographic and musical ode pays tribute to the “ordinary” Cuban, but also to the “king of mambo”, the bearded revolutionaries and the hip-swinging women.

In the commentary, Varda talks about her experiences on the island, sometimes in the form of a dialogue with actor Michel Piccoli. Supported by a soundtrack of swinging Cuban music, the photos are edited in such a way that they appear to move. The film was commissioned by the Cuban Film Institute, but steers clear of political propaganda thanks to Varda’s clear-eyed perspective and subtle street photography, which effectively captures the atmosphere of Cuba.