Strawberry and Chocolate

Strawberry and Chocolate Fresa y chocolate

Directed by	Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Juan Carlos Tabío
Produced by	Camilo Vives Frank Cabrera Georgina Balzaretti
Written by	Story: Senel Paz Screenplay: Senel Paz
Starring	Jorge Perugorría Vladimir Cruz Mirta Ibarra Francisco Gattorno
Distributed by	Miramax Films (USA)
Release dates	1994 (1994)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Cuba Mexico
Language	Spanish

Strawberry and Chocolate (Spanish: Fresa y chocolate) is an internationally co-produced film, directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, based on the short story "The Wolf, The Forest and the New Man" (in Spanish, El Lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo) written by Senel Paz in 1990. Senel Paz also wrote the screenplay for the film.

Plot

The story takes place in Havana, Cuba in 1979. David (Vladimir Cruz) is a university student who meets Diego (Jorge Perugorría), a gay artist unhappy with the Castro regime's attitude toward the LGBT community as well as the censored conceptualization of culture. David's homophobic classmate, Miguel (Francisco Gattorno), plans to use David to spy on Diego, a person whom they see as aberrant and dangerous to the Communist cause; Diego, for his part, initiates the friendship with sexual intentions.

Cast

Jorge Perugorría ... Diego
Vladimir Cruz ... David
Mirta Ibarra ... Nancy
Francisco Gattorno ... Miguel
Joel Angelino ... German
Marilyn Solaya ... Vivian
Andrés Cortina ... Santeria priest
Antonio Carmona ... Boyfriend

Reception

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert comments that "nothing unfolds as we expect. Strawberry and Chocolate is not a movie about the seduction of a body, but about the seduction of a mind. It is more interested in politics than sex — unless you count Sexual Politics, since to be homosexual in Cuba is to make an anti-authoritarian statement whether you intend it or not."^[1]

The title refers to a comment made by Diego that immediately proves to David that Diego is gay when at Havana's Coppelia (ice cream parlor) he choses strawberry ice cream even though chocolate (vastly more popular) is available.

Awards and nominations

Won

1995

Goya Award for Best Spanish-Language Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera de Habla Hispana)
Premio ACE awards: Cinema—Best Film, Cinema—Best Director, Cinema—Best Actor (Perugorría), and Cinema—Best Supporting Actor (Cruz)
Sundance Film Festival: Special Jury Prize:Special Mention

1994

44th Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Berlin Bear—Special Jury Prize,^[2] Teddy—Best Feature Film
Gramado Film Festival (Brazil): Audience Award, Kikito Critics Prize, and Golden Kikito awards in the categories of Best Latin Film, Best Actor (tie between Cruz and Perugorría), and Best Supporting Actress (Ibarra)

1993

Havana Film Festival:^[3] Grand Coral—First Prize, Audience Award, FIPRESCI Prize, OCIC Award, ARCI-NOVA Award, and the categories of Best Direction, Best Actor (Perugorría), Best Actress (Luisina Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Ibarra), and Best Screenplay.

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1994^[4]
Golden Berlin Bear, 1994 Berlin International Film Festival

References

↑ Ebert, Roger. "Strawberry and Chocolate" (review), Chicago Sun-Times, February 10, 1995. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
↑ "Berlinale: 1994 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
↑ http://www.habanafilmfestival.com/
↑ "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

External links

Films directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Stories of the Revolution (1960) The Twelve Chairs (1962) La muerte de un burócrata (1966) Memories of Underdevelopment (1968) The Last Supper (1976) The Survivors (1979) Letters from the Park (1988) Strawberry and Chocolate (1994) Guantanamera (1995)

Films directed by Juan Carlos Tabío

Strawberry and Chocolate (1994) Guantanamera (1995) Lista de Espera (2000) 7 Days in Havana (2012)

Gramado Film Festival Best Picture Award

1973 — 1989	Toda Nudez Será Castigada (1973) Vai Trabalhar, Vagabundo! (1974) O Amuleto de Ogum (1975) O Predileto (1976) À Flor da Pele (1977) Doramundo (1978) Raoni (1979) Gaijin – Os Caminhos da Liberdade (1980) Cabaret Mineiro (1981) Pra frente, Brasil (1982) Sargento Getúlio (1983) O Baiano Fantasma (1984) A Marvada Carne (1985) O Homem da Capa Preta (1986) Anjos do Arrabalde (1987) A Dama do Cine Shangai (1988) Festa (1989)

1990 — 2009	Stelinha (1990) Não Quero Falar sobre Isto agora (1991) Técnicas de duelo: Una cuestión de honor (1992) Um Lugar no Mundo (1993) Fresa y chocolate (1994) Amnesia (1995) Quem Matou Pixote? (1996) For All - O Trampolim da Vitória (1997) Pizza, Birra, Faso (1998) À Sombra dos Abutres (1999) Pantaleón y las Visitadoras (2000) Memórias Póstumas (2001) Durval Discos (2002) De Passagem (2003) Vida de Menina (2004) Gaijin - Ama-me como Sou (2005) Serras da Desordem / Anjos do Sol (2006) Castelar e Nelson Dantas no País dos Generais (2007) Nome Próprio (2008) Corumbiara (2009)

2010 — present	Bróder (2010) Uma Longa Viagem (2011) Colegas (2012) Tatuagem (2013) A Estrada 47 (2014) Ausência (2015) Barata Ribeiro, 716 (2016)

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