Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti (born November 18, 1961 in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

) is a

n film director. He started his career as an author and actor for children's TV shows made for the

Cuban Institute of Radio and Television The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ( es, Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión; ICRT) is the government agency responsible for the control of radio and television broadcasters in Cuba. History Cuba was one of the first countries in ...

from 1981 to 1987. He is known for directing the movie '' Viva Cuba'', which received the Best Children's Film award at the

Cannes International Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 2005.

Biography

Childhood

Cremata Malberti grew up in Havana's

Vedado Vedado ( es, El Vedado, ) is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar / Playa distric ...

district, with his mother Iraida Malberti Cabrera, a choreographer and film director who used to work in children's television. He obtained his Dramatic Arts degree in 1986 from the Havana's Superior Institute of Art. He then went on to study at and graduate from the International Film School of

San Antonio de los Baños San Antonio de los Baños is a municipality and town in the Artemisa Province of Cuba. It is located 26 km from the city of Havana, and the Ariguanabo River runs through it. It was founded in 1802. History There are 39 schools in the town, ...

in 1990, having already created his classic '' Oscuros Rinocerontes Enjaulados'', an experimental short film that went around the world gathering awards in several film festivals.

Teaching Experience

Between 1994 and 1995, Cremata Malberti taught editing and directing in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. In 1996, he became a

Guggenheim fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the a ...

and spent a year in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Then, in 1998, he was invited to participate in a film-writing workshop at the

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Film Making

After writing and acting for children's TV shows for 6 years, Cremata Malberti dedicated his career to feature-length films. His specialty is bittersweet comedies, depicting the Cuban society, its roots and its daily life. Cremata Malberti's first commercial film was the documentary ''La época, El encanto y Fin de siglo'' made in 2000. His first feature film was ''Nada'' in 2001. This film was noted within the Cuban film industry for its innovative mise en scène. The movie tells the story of Carla, a woman living in Havana, who gets a visa to go to the United States but suddenly realizes that happiness may not be where she thinks it is. This first film features autobiographical details, including the film's setting in Havana's Vedado district. ''Nada'' was supposed to have been followed by ''Nadie'' (Nobody) and ''Nunca'' (Never), but Cremata Malberti didn't get the financing for his trilogy project. Fame came to Juan Carlos Cremata when '' Viva Cuba'' was released in 2005, and won more than 30 national and international awards. It was the first Cuban film ever to be awarded, “Grand Prix Écrans Juniors” for children's cinema at the 2005

. His latest film, ''El Premio Flaco'', adapted from Cuban writer Hector Quintero's play, tells the story of a woman whose luck changes drastically when she wins a contest sponsored by a soap company. This low-budget film received a hearty welcome for his premiere at the

Havana Film Festival The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Latin American filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as ''Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana,'' and in English as International Festiva ...

Awards

Cremata Malberti has won many awards for his various films.

''Viva Cuba''

''Viva Cuba'' has won 34 prizes, including * Grand Prix Ecrans Juniors, Cannes, 2005 * Best Film award at the International Children Cinema and Television Festival in Taiwan. * Special Mention, Cinecircoli Giovanili Socioculturale. Giffoni International Film Festival, Italia, 2005. * Premio a la Mejor Edición. VIII Festival de Cine Infantil. Guayana, Venezuela, 2005. * Reconocimiento Especial de la Agencia Internacional de Noticias Prensa Latina. 27 Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano. La Habana, Cuba, 2005.

''Nada''

Nada Nada may refer to: Culture *Nāda, a concept in ancient Indian metaphysics Places *Nada, Hainan, China *Nada, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States *Nada, Nepal, village in Achham District, Seti Zone *Nada, Texas, United Sta ...

'' has won 19 prizes, including * Premio Coral de Opera prima at the 23rd Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, La Havana, Cuba, 2001. * Best edition prize at the 14th Cinemafest San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Caracol UNEAC prize for best director, 2002. * Shortlisted for "la Quinzaine des Réalisateurs” at Cannes International Film Festival, 2002. * Best feature-length film at the International Festival of Miami, United States, 2003.

''Oscuros Rinocerontes Enjaulados''

* Gran Premio "El Chicuelo". IV Festival de Cine Joven, La Habana, Cuba * Premio "Saúl Yelín" de la Federación Nacional de Cine Clubes de Cuba. 1990. * Premio "Yara". Centro Cinematográfico. La Habana, 1990. * Grand Prize EISENSTEIN at the Wilhelmshaven International Film Festival, Germany, 1992. * Archived at Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), 1996.

Filmography

* 1984-1987 ** ''Cuando yo sea grande'' (30 episodes): Children's TV series for Cuban television ** ''Y dice una mariposa...'' (25 episodes): Children's TV series for Cuban television ** ''Diana'' (short film) * 1991: '' Oscuros Rinocerontes Enjaulados'' (short film) * 1999: ''La época, el encanto y fin de siglo'' (documentary) * 2002: ''

'' (feature) * 2005: '' Viva Cuba'' (feature) * 2009: ''El premio Flaco'' (feature)