Archivistas Salvajes is a collective dedicated to the rescue and preservation of amateur and home-film heritage shot by Cuban enthusiasts, known as Los Subterráneos (The Underground Ones), the first archive of Cuban amateur cinema.

This project seeks to contribute to the preservation of a unique type of film record in the extensive history of Cuban cinema: the work carried out by Cuban amateur filmmakers, as well as to give visibility to the great anthropological, historical and aesthetic value of these works, which are in a critical state of preservation and face a growing threat of disappearing.

Organised into independent film clubs, these amateurs developed their own methods to document the most immediate and intimate realities around them. Through their work, the traditional festivities of Cuba’s small towns, Afro-Cuban rituals, and the lives of local, eccentric characters found—for the first time in the history of Cuban audiovisual culture—a consistent space of visibility and reflection.

This focus is curated by Archivistas Salvajes (Daniel Saucedo, Lucía Malandro, Josué G. Gómez and Fabio Quintero) with Jonathan Ali. 

Each programme will feature an introduction and post-screening conversation with Fabio Quintero and Jonathan Ali. 

With thanks to Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola.