Habla sobre cine. Notes on Ugo Casiraghi

Abstract

The Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos - ICAIC was established by the Cuban government in March 1959. The institute promoted a peculiar interpretation of the revolution and its imagery, also presenting itself as a new space for an international discussion on cinema.  In a such context, directors, critics, and intellectuals from all over the world were welcomed to Cuba by the government menbers and by the Cine Cubano group. In December 1966, Ugo Casiraghi was welcomed to Cuba by Alfredo Guevara, one of the creators and the first president of the Institute. The story of these relationships and this journey is intertwined with Casiraghi's encounter with cinema, authors and the reality of "Third World Cinema". This occasion allowed Casiraghi to meet in persona or see again cubain directors, critics, intellectulas,  artists, from ICAIC and Cine Cubano, while the journey iteself was made possible by the link between Italian film culture and the development of the Cuban film industry and film-educational structures. According to Mariani and Venturini perspective (2017), this article aims to interpret the figure of Casiraghi, reading the work and experience of the critic in the light of two important definitions and notions, such as that of " cultural intermediary” (Andreazza 2014) and “cultural agent of translation” (Salazkina 2012).