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Conquistadors of Cuba

Kuuban valloittajat

2005  |  Documentary  |  91 min

Nearly blind Maximiliano, 62, has been given an important task. He has been asked to fix Che Guevara's old car in Havana. Maximiliano's passion are old American cars, and the car he owns has the engine of the car of Fulgencio Batista, the former dictator of Cuba.

Maximiliano´s friend, Mario Borges, owns an old American car that used to belong to mobster Meyer Lansky whose fate interlaced closely with Batista and Che Guevara. This is a film about three historical cars and their current owners. It is also a touching story of a man with two faces, the very image of the soul of Cuba. A film about the beauty and greatness of ordinary people under the pressure of changing regimes.

DISTRIBUTION

- Finnish premiere 28.1.2005
- Theatrical distribution in Finland FS-Film

FESTIVALS

- World premiere at Visions du Réel Film Festival's International Competition, Switzerland

Selected for 20 international film festivals, including:

- Calgary International Film Festival, Canada, 2006
- DOCSDF: Mexico City International Film Festival, Mexico, 2006
- Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), USA, 2007

Conquistadors of Cuba

    Trailer

    Crew

    Director and screenwriter: Arto Halonen
    Editor: Jukka Nykänen
    Cinematographer: Jari Pollari
    Sound editing: Heikki Innanen
    Music: Tuomas Kantelinen
    Producer: Arto Halonen
    Production company: Art Films production AFP Ltd