TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA
Spain, Cuba | 2025 | 74 min | bn | Spanish
In one of the most remote regions in Cuba, Landi makes a living hunting for crocodiles bare-handed while Mercedes, his partner, looks after their son Deinis, who has autism. The cyclic nature of their life, marked by separations and reunifications, recalls at once the harshness of the wilderness and the wounds of a country pervaded by a pandemic and high social tension. While the crackling voice from a radio broadcasts the echo of a waning revolution, the family resists their circumstances with minimal gestures and an indissoluble love. In his debut feature-length documentary, Cuban filmmaker David Bim makes an intense portrayal of a family of “pariahs of the Earth” through the use of essential black and white imagery and an immersive approach to sound. With its long takes filmed with great formal rigour, To the West, in Zapata testifies to the strength of those who, despite constantly hanging in a fragile balance, still believe in the power of family love. (A.D.)
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: 04 Nov 2025
- Time: 10:45
Location
- Cinema La Compagnia - Via Camillo Cavour, 50/R, 50121 Florence
Organizer
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David Bim
David Bim began his studies at the Catalonia Film School (ESCAC). In 2015 was selected to study directing at the International Film School of Cuba (EICTV). In 2023, he founded and currently directs FICCLAB, an international EICTV program focused on the development of first feature films through workshops, masterclasses and mentoring sessions with international filmmakers, script doctors, and producers. His debut feature, To the West, In Zapata which won the International Critics’ Prize (FIPRESCI) and the Special Jury Prize in the Burning Lights Competition.
