October 7, 2015

At a time when Cuba and the U.S. are reestablishing diplomatic relationships after a half-century of estrangement, a new Drexel Study Abroad program, organized by Westphal Film & Video Professor Gerry Hooper, will allow students to experience and document the rich Cuban culture that’s been off limits to most Americans for decades. In the new two-week Intermediate Production course, students will produce a short documentary in downtown Old Havana while learning about Cuba’s history and cinema. The Cuba Documentary Workshop is in partnership with Escuela International de Cine y Television (EICTV), the preeminent film school for all of Latin America.  The inaugural Cuba Documentary Workshop will be offered as a 3-credit course (FMVD 280) that will take place from December 5 – 20, 2015.

During the first week of the program on EICTV’s campus, just 25 minutes outside of Havana, students will attend lectures, screenings and information sessions on both Cuban culture and the documentary form, in addition to conducting location scouting. During the second week students will reside in Old Havana where they’ll shoot documentary footage, with post-production and translation to be completed at EICTV.

EICTV was founded in 1986 by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fernando Birri and Julio Garcia Espinoza to establish a radical and ethical artistic education. The school has since held residencies with world-famous filmmakers like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, Costa Garvas, Asghar Farhadi and others.

The application deadline for the upcoming December 2015 trip is October 15. While available to all Drexel students, the course does require a pre-requisite of Documentary Production (FMVD 220). For more information on registration and fees for this exciting creative and cultural opportunity, click here.

The new Cuba Documentary Workshop is in addition to Westphal’s intensive study abroad programs, including in London, Tokyo, Rome and Sao Paulo, as well as dozens of other study abroad opportunities offered by the University.