Workshop report “The restoration of ‘De cierta manera’”

The Cuban film ‘De cierta manera’ premiered on July 2, 1977, at the International Forum of New Cinema, a section of the Berlin International Film Festival mounted by the Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art. As had always been planned, the Arsenal purchased a 35 mm print, subtitled in German, to integrate into its own distribution network. In 1990, they acquired a new print of the international version for distribution. ‘De cierta manera’ was the first Cuban feature made by a female director. In the film, Sara Gómez casts a critical eye on post-revolutionary Cuban society. Stylistically, the film reflects the many documentary shorts she made, complemented by narrative passages. Sara Gómez died at the age of just 31 during the film’s post-production, and it was completed by a group of people who had worked on it. The negative had been damaged during lab processing, so as part of the restoration, the original 16 mm material was blown up to 35 mm.