Nicolás Guillén Landrián (Camagüey, 1938-Miami, 2003) was one of the greatest Cuban
documentary filmmakers of all time. Most of his films were censured, apparently because he
was not considered good enough to represent the Cuban film industry. Nephew of the poet
Nicolas Guillen, he was also a painter and a writer. Many of his films are still unknown in
Cuba and abroad. He served jail time twice and was also sent to mental institutions, where he
was given electric shock treatment. Irreverent, experimental and sarcastic, some of his films
have survived censorship and are now a major influence among young Cuban filmmakers.
In 1989 he left Cuba and settled in Miami, where he fell into extreme poverty. After nearly
three decades without filming, in 2001 he co-directed – with José Egusquiza Zorrilla – his
latest documentary, Inside Downtown.
Manuel Zayas (IMDb)
Filmography
1962: Homenaje a Picasso
1962: Congos reales
1962: Patio arenero
1963: Un festival
1963: En un barrio viejo
1963: El Morro
1964: Rita Montaner
1965: Ociel del Toa
1965: Los del baile
1966: Reportaje
1966: Retornar a Baracoa
1968: Coffea Arábiga
1969: Expo Maquinaria Pabellón Cuba
1971: Desde La Habana ¡1969! Recordar
1971: Taller de Línea y 18
1972: El son
1972: Para construir una casa
1972: Un reportaje sobre el Puerto Pesquero
1972: Nosotros en el Cuyaguateje
2001: Inside Downtown (co-directed with Jorge Egusquiza)
Nominations and Awards
En un barrio viejo
- Winner of Special Mention, Krakow Film Festival, Poland, 1964
- Opera Prima Award, Toulouse Film Festival, France, 1964 Ociel del Toa
- Winner of Espiga de Oro Award, Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain, 1966