Tomás Gutiérrez Alea was an outstanding artist of the New Cuban cinema whose work was closely connected with the Cuban revolution. He was born in Havana on December 11, 1928, to a bourgeois family. Though he studied law at the University of Havana, he had a passion for film and shot amateur shorts on 8mm. After graduating, he went on to study at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome from 1951-53, where he met the filmmaker Julio García Espinosa.

Alea and Espinosa returned to Cuba inspired by Italian Neo-realism. Together they made the short documentary El Mégano (1955), which was banned by the Batista regime. In 1956, Alea began working for the news program Cine Revista and joined the progressive cultural organization „Nuestro Tiempo,” whose newspaper he edited. Together with Espinosa, he founded the film department of the Rebel Army in 1959, and with Alfredo Guevara and others the Cuban Film Institute ICAIC. Alea co-wrote and directed the first feature film produced after the revolution, Historias de la Revolución (1960), with input from Che Guevara.

The comedy genre was always an important part of his work. His satire La muerte de un burócrata (1966) was an homage to all his favorite filmmakers, including Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and Buñuel. It became an instant Cuban cinema classic and established his name abroad.

Alea’s reputation strengthened in 1968 with Memorias del subdesarrollo. The New York Times called it “a superb and extraordinary Cuban film” and ranked it in The Ten Best Films of 1973. He was also awarded for it by the American National Society of Film Critics in 1974.

For his last comedy Fresa y Chocolate (1994), the first Cuban film with an openly gay main character, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Because he became ill during the filming, he was assisted by his colleague, Juan Carlos Tabío, with whom he also co-directed Guantanamera (1995), his last film. Alea died on April 16, 1996 in Havana.

Films as director (selection):

Guantanamera (1995), Fresa y chocolate (1994), Contigo en la distancia (1991), Cartas del parque (1989), Hasta cierto punto (1983), Los sobrevivientes (1978), De cierta manera (1977), La última cena (1975), El arte del tabaco (1974, documentary), Una pelea cubana contra los demonios (1971), Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968), La muerte de un burócrata (1966), Cumbite (1964), Las doce sillas (1962), Historias de la revolución (1960), Esta tierra nuestra (1959, documentary), El Mégano (1955, documentary)

Sources: Jump Cut l Film Quarterly l Cuban Cinema l World Cinema since 1945 l A Guide to Cuban Cinema l The Oxford History of World Cinema l The Cuban Filmography 1897-2001 l ICESTORM Cuban films booklet