Cuba sends Malecón to 99th Oscars as Movistar Plus takes Spain
Cuba has selected Malecón, directed by Carlos Larrazabal, as its official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, Variety reported.
The category is the Academy's contest for features made outside the United States, largely in languages other than English. Each country can put forward one film. The Academy then shortlists and nominates from those national entries.
Malecón follows Elvis. He returns to Havana after 10 years in prison. The story stays with him in the Cuban capital as he tries to rebuild his life after release.
Separately, Movistar Plus has acquired the streaming rights in Spain for the film, Variety reported. The agreement covers streaming in the Spanish market. It gives the film a confirmed streaming home in Spain as it starts its awards run.
The film was shot entirely in Cuba. Larrazabal co-wrote the screenplay with Cuban screenwriter Fabián Suárez. The script was developed through Sundance Collab, a development programme for writers and directors.
The cast is all Cuban. It is led by César Domínguez, Camila Rodhes, Omar Rolando and Yordanka Ariosa. Inti Herrera of the Cuban production company i4films is a producer, with Jorge Perugorría and Flavio Florencio attached as co-producers.
Before the Oscar selection, Malecón travelled on the festival circuit. It screened at Mar del Plata, at Miami and at Havana. That kind of run often provides a national entry with its first press screenings and industry exposure before awards voters take notice.
What makes this stand out is the footprint. A Cuba-shot film, with an all-Cuban cast and Cuban writing and producing credits, now holds both an Oscar submission and a Spanish streaming deal.
