Cuban filmmaker Lazara Rosell Albear returns to the magical–realistic world of Santeria or Regla de Osha, the religion practiced in secret by more than 70% of the Cuban population. The film, titled “Yoko Osha,” interweaves an intimate portrayal of this tradition with its rules and ritualistic initiations, with personal experiences, audio-visual recreations, performance and poetry. Ten years in the making, what results is a multi-layered work, merging different styles as the film becomes more of a subjective self-portrait of the director.
As an Ode to the Cuban people, and to a part of their treasured culture, the film unfolds against the well known background of socio-economical struggles in the country.
Albear is an Artist in Residence for the year 2016 at Wiels Contemporary Art Center in Brussels, where the film is set to screen – at Cinema Nova , on June 3rd. The screening will be followed by a live performance.
The film was most recently invited to be presented at AFRO-CUBAN ARTISTS: A RENAISSANCE at the University of Missouri, Columbia, just about 3 weeks ago.
For those in Brussels, visit Cinema Nova’s website for more info on the upcoming screening and performance.
More from the filmmaker to come…
The below video isn’t an official trailer for “Yoko Osha” but an early compilation of scenarios the filmmaker put together while in production.
