On the Starting Line

(La arrancada)
Aldemar Matias | Documentary

2018 | 63 minutes | Cuba, France

This intimate family chronicle, seen from the perspective of two women, unfolds the portrait of a generation unsure of what’s next in Cuba.

Synopsis

Jenniffer is a young athlete who questions her commitment to the Cuban national track and field team. Her mother Marbelis runs a health center in Havana with an iron fist. When her younger brother wants to leave the country, Jenniffer's doubts grow stronger and stronger. Presented at the Berlinale, a powerful and moving documentary narrates the experiences of an athlete who lives a permanent crisis of faith with the national sports federations in Cuba.

Reviews

"The choices that Jenniffer, Marbelis, and Yesnier all grapple with are undoubtedly large ones, and [Aldemar] Matías gives viewers an honest, heartfelt look into their lives." — Carmen Paddock, One Room With A View

Citation
Main credits

Matias, Aldemar (filmmaker)
Hurst, David (film producer)

Other credits

Cinematographer, Aldemar Matiaso; editing, Jeanne Oberson.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
Black,cuba,havana,family,family relations,afro latin america,black latin america,afro latino,afro latinx,afro latina,black latino,black latinx,black latina,afro latin,afro-americanism,afro-brazilian,afro-cuban,afro-haitian,afro-colombian,afro-dominican,afro-mexican,afro-puertorican,afro-honduran,afro-bolivian,afro-argentinian,afro-chilean,afro-peruvian,afro-nicauraguan,afro-guatemalan,afro-caribbean,diaspora,slave trade,women,womanhood,gender,girl,girlhood,mother,motherhood,female,cis woman,cis female,trans woman,trans female,women’s rights,women’s issues,lady,ladies,gentlewoman,madame,miss,missus,mrs.,dame,damsel,ingenue,lass,maid,maiden,belle,gal,ladyfriend,girlfriend,dear,darling,widow,matron,dowager,gender,gender equality,gender pay gap,women’s liberation,women’s rights,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,family,kin,fellowship,household,immediate family,extended family,multigenerational family,multigenerational household,kinfolk,family tree,genealogy,nuclear family,modern family,family tree,caribbean studies,the caribbean,caribeean sea,caribbean island,antigua and barbuda,bahamas,barbados,cuba,dominica,dominican republic,grenada,haiti,jamaica,saint kitts and nevis,st lucia,st vincent and the grenadines,and trinidad and tobago,anguilla,aruba,british virgin islands,caribbean netherlands,bonaire,sint eustatius,saba,cayman islands,curaçao,guadeloupe,martinique,montserrat,puerto rico,saint barthélemy,saint martin/sint maarten,turks and caicos islands,us virgin islands,migration studies,migrant studies,immigration studies,refugee studies,diaspora studies,resettlement studies,settlement studies,migration,migrant,immigration,refugee,diaspora,resettlement,settlement,refugees,international migration,continental migration,resettling,settlers,settler,migrant,migrant studies,first generation immigrant,first generation immigration,new americans,new spaniards,political science,micropolitics,macropolitics,political theory,political education,political movements,political thinking,political criticism,poly sci,polysci,political sci,political sciences,political history,history of politics,political systems; "On the Starting Line"; Pragda Films
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Festivals

Berlin International Film Festival; It's All True International Documentary Festival; Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival

DIRECTOR: Aldemar Matias

NATIONALITY: Cuba, France

YEAR: 2018

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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