A Fundraising Event For The Short Film El Pinero
About this Event
A film in progress. A history most people have never heard. An afternoon to be part of both.
Join us Saturday, October 10th from 12 to 1pm for a fundraising event for El Pinero, a bilingual short film currently in development with the goal of shooting this December on Cuba's Isla de la Juventud. The film is written and produced by Robert Potter and directed by Meilín Quilez Durañona. This will be the duo's second collaboration shooting there, following their short film Last Thread.
This event is a chance to support the production directly and see where the project stands before the cameras roll.
What to expect:
- Opening remarks from Robert Potter on El Pinero and how it came to be
- An extended cut of our promotional video for the film
- More from Robert on the story, the history behind it, and where production stands today
- A full screening of Last Thread, our proof-of-concept short shot on the Isle of Youth
- A live Q&A with the filmmakers
- Refreshments with a Cuban touch
- A direct opportunity to support the film's December production costs, plus a bonus perk for supporters that we're saving to reveal in person at the event.
About the film
El Pinero follows Cole Smith, an American who travels to Cuba after his father's death, carrying a photograph and a name: William Smith, a man who was part of an American settler community that once lived on the island and also his grandfather.
The history behind it
Between roughly 1900 and the 1920s, American land companies sold homestead plots across the Isle of Pines to buyers back in the United States, many of whom believed the island would eventually become U.S. territory. At its peak around 1914, the American settler population reached roughly two thousand. The island's sovereignty stayed formally unresolved until the Hay-Quesada Treaty was ratified in 1925, after which most American residents left. This history is the foundation the film's fiction is built on, drawn primarily from Michael Neagle's America's Forgotten Colony: Cuba's Isle of Pines (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
Where your support goes
Funds raised at this event go directly toward production costs for our December shoot on the island, including travel, local crew, and equipment. El Pinero is fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which means donations to the film can be tax-deductible.
Follow along
Can't make it, or want to keep up with the film before and after the event? Find more about El Pinero, including behind-the-scenes updates and ways to support the December shoot, at elpinerofilm.com, or follow along on Instagram and Facebook at @cubaxfilm.
Organized By
Robert W. Potter — Writer/Producer
Robert W. Potter is an American writer and producer as well as Florida native with a degree in filmmaking from Ringling College of Art and Design. He has worked in film and advertising for many years, both in Florida and Los Angeles, and his projects have screened and won awards at festivals and showcases including the Telly Awards, the Experience Design & Tech Awards, FilmGate Miami, and Lift Off Sessions.
Meilín Quilez Durañona — Director/Co-Producer
Meilín Quilez Durañona is a Cuban filmmaker born and raised on the Isla de la Juventud. Holding a degree in Audiovisual Media Arts and as a graduate of the EICTV’s Low-Budget Filmmaking Workshop, she has worked in film, television, and advertising as a director, producer, and assistant director. Her short films have been screened and awarded at national and international showcases and festivals, including events organized by the ICAIC, FilmGate Miami, and Lift-Off.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
