© Orlando Jiménez-Leal
Orlando Jiménez-Leal (Havana, 1941) is a Cuban film director who currently resides in Miami (Florida).
From his youth he began as a cameraman, under the tutelage of José Guerra Alemán he worked for the Cineperiódico newscast where he made reports and newscasts. In 1961 he filmed the short film PM that was censored and seized by the Castro regime, provoking a political-cultural controversy and Castro’s famous speech “Words to the intellectuals”, which defines the cultural policy of the Cuban Government.
His film El Súper (1979), received the Grand Prize at the Manheim Festival, the Association de Cinéma d’Art et d’Essay Award at the Biarritz Festival and selected for the Venice Film Festival. In 1983 he made the documentary feature La Otra Cuba (The Other Cuba) for RAI.
In 1984 he co-directed, together with Néstor Almendros, the documentary Mauvaise conduite (Improper Conduct), which won first prize at the Strasbourg Human Rights Festival and Best Documentary at the Barcelona Film Festival. The film reflects a historical overview of the repression that was carried out in Cuba against all those whose personal conduct was outside the parameters established by Castroism. Vincent Canby, in his review of The New York Times wrote “Misconduct is an intelligent criticism of the Cuban revolution. The testimony is as brutal as it is convincing.”
He also directed for the RAI in 1992 8-A (Ochoa) about the trial and execution of General Arnaldo Ochoa Sánchez, the highest ranking officer in the Cuban army, who had been decorated by Fidel Castro as Hero of the Republic of Cuba. The day after his execution a cryptic graffiti (8-A) appeared on the walls of Havana. The script for Improper Conduct with an included DVD (2008) has recently been published in Madrid in book form.
Filmography
1961: P.M.
1979: El Súper (Co-directed with Leon Ichaso)
1980: Me olvidé de vivir
1984: Mauvaise conduite
1985: La otra Cuba
1993: 8-A
Nominations and Awards
El Súper
- Grand Prize (shared with Leon Ichaso), Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, Germany, 1979
- Association de Cinéma d’Art et d’Essay Award (shared with Leon Ichaso), Biarritz Film Festival, 1979
- Selected for the Venice Film Festival, 1979
- Best Director (shared with Leon Ichaso), Premios Ace, 1980
Mauvaise conduite
- Audience Award (shared with Nestor Almendros), San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, 1984