September was a month of getting ready. We set the plan for our first fundraising event, opened RSVPs, went deep on the island’s history, and did a lot of the quiet work it takes to get a crew to Cuba in December. Here’s what happened.
October 10: RSVPs Are Open
Our first live fundraising event for El Pinero is now just around the corner: Saturday, October 10, from 12 to 1pm at Burns Court Cinemas, 506 Burns Lane, Sarasota. Doors open at 11:30am, and admission is free.
Here’s what the hour looks like. We’ll open with a few words on El Pinero and how the project came to be, then play an extended cut of our promo video. After that, we’ll go deeper into the story, the history behind it, and where production stands right now, followed by a full screening of Last Thread, the short we made on the Isle of Youth. Then Ava Abreu, our production coordinator, and I will open the floor for a live Q&A.
There will be refreshments with a Cuban touch, jugo de mango included. And we’ve partnered with an artist from the island on something special for anyone who donates at the event. We’re saving the details for the room.
If you can’t make it yourself, please pass this along to someone who might want to come. The more people in the room, the closer we get to the island.
A Month of Island History
We spent a week in September on the history of the Isle of Pines, the island’s name for most of the twentieth century. We looked at the grapefruit that made the island famous back home, including a 1914 USDA watercolor of a variety actually called the “Isle of Pines,” and at the island’s pirate past, when Henry Morgan used it in 1668 to launch his attack on Puerto Príncipe.
We also picked up a new source: Morton D. Winsberg’s 1958 University of Florida dissertation, Isle of Pines, Cuba: A Geographic Interpretation. It fills in a lot of what came before and around the American colony, and it sits right alongside Michael Neagle’s America’s Forgotten Colony as one of the foundations we’re building on.
Then we gave a week to the films that shaped this one: Aftersun, Y Tu Mamá También, and Paris, Texas. Three very different movies, all about journeys, memory, and what people can’t quite say to each other.
Meet the Whole Crew
The crew page got a refresh this month, with photos for everyone. We also have a new addition to the team: Osmara Alberteris joins us on art direction. Go put faces to names.
Getting Ready for December
A lot of this month happened where nobody can see it. Crew agreements, production insurance that actually covers filming in Cuba, travel planning, and making sure every step of this production stays fully within U.S. regulations for filming on the island. None of it makes for a great Instagram post, but it’s what lets us get there, shoot, and come back with a film.
We also kept working on grant applications, with a couple submitted and more in progress.
We Found Our Cole
Casting is done. We’ve found the actor who will play Cole, our lead, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. So much of this role lives in what Cole doesn’t say, and from the moment we saw his read, we knew he understood that.
We’re not saying who just yet. Keep an eye on our socials, because an announcement is coming soon.
Sponsors: Now for Businesses and Individuals
We updated our sponsorship tiers so they work whether you’re a business or an individual who wants to be part of the film in a bigger way. Tiers run from $250 to $2,000, with benefits like your name or logo in the credits, screening invitations, and producer credits at the higher levels.
If you know someone who might be a fit, an introduction goes a long way: elpinerofilm@gmail.com.
How You Can Help
Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok at @cubaxfilm. And if you’re able to give, donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, From the Heart Productions. Every bit gets us closer to a December shoot.
Hope to see you on October 10.
— Robert