The Mostra di Venezia—the Venice International Film Festival—is the world’s oldest film festival and one of the most prestigious. In 2025, the 82nd edition of the festival will be held from August 27 to September 6 at the Venice Lido in Italy. Tickets for the festival are available online at La Biennale di Venezia.
One of the few films by Caribbean filmmakers [perhaps the only one, as far as I can see] is Norheimsund, a 12-minute short film in Spanish (with Italian and English subtitles) by Cuban director Ana A. Alpízar. The cast includes Paula Massó Varela, Yaité Ruiz, Darianis Palenzuela, and Kiriam Gutiérrez. It will be screened on September 4, 2025, at the Sala Giardino theater.
Eliecer Jiménez Almeida (Rialta) quotes the director, who says, “If I chose ‘Norheimsund’ as the title of the short film, it’s because it represents, precisely, that dream shared by so many of us: the simple desire not to be ‘there,’ but to be anywhere else, regardless of exactly where.” Jiménez Almeida introduces Alpízar’s work.
In the contemporary Cuban cinema scene, few figures stand out with such force and originality as Ana A. Alpízar. Her career as a director, screenwriter, producer, and editor has led her to conquer important international festivals, consolidating a distinct voice that explores, questions, and reinvents the narratives of the island and its diaspora. Her short film El pescador premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, while The Premiere won an award at the China Women’s Film Festival. More recently, Hapi Berdey Yusimi in Yur Dey was included in the official selection at festivals in New Orleans; Brooklyn, New York; and Miami, Florida.
With a filmography that oscillates between formal experimentation and in-depth exploration of social and personal themes, her recent selection in the Orizzonti Competition at the Venice Film Festival with the short film Norheimsund is a new milestone, both for her career and for Cuban cinema.
Norheimsund emerges from a restless search, fueled by curiosity and observation. For Alpízar, the meaning of this Norwegian town goes beyond an exotic name: it becomes a symbol of the desire to be abroad, a longing shared by many Cubans who dream of the possibility of a different life, even if they don’t know exactly where.
Through the story of a mother and daughter trapped between hope and resignation, the director manages to connect the Norwegian landscape with the frustrations and longings of those who have grown up under the weight of scarcity and family sacrifice in contemporary dystopian Cuba.
One of Alpízar’s successes has been to convey the authenticity of everyday Cuban life into the visual and audio language of her films. Long shots, meticulous compositions, and the blending of genres give Norheimsund a unique conceptual texture. The collaborative work with an international crew, coupled with the courage to film in today’s Cuba—with all the logistical, political, and even health limitations that this entails—confirms that Ana not only directs, but also learns, exposes herself, and celebrates the privilege of being able to film “at home,” even under adverse circumstances.
Norheimsund is not just a short film going to Venice: it is also a testament to the new directions of Cuban cinema, to the persistence of a generation that is committed to its own stories and dares to look beyond physical and symbolic borders. […]
Excerpts translated by Ivette Romero. For full article and interview (in Spanish), see https://rialta.org/ana-a-alpizar-cortometraje-norheimsund-venezia/
Also see https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2025