Havana/The Cuban actor and filmmaker Jorge Perugorría claims the resilience of Cubans and their ability to continue dreaming in the midst of difficulties, two qualities that he wanted to reflect in his latest film, Anonymous neuroticwith which he aspires to get a nomination for the 2027 Goya Award for best Ibero-American film.
“It is a tribute to the resilience of Cubans, to how some people do not give up on continuing to dream, and move forward under the circumstances that we have faced, in this difficult and complex moment,” the artist explained in an interview with the EFE agency.
The film “speaks about today’s Cuban reality,” says Perugorría, who recognizes that filming took place at a particularly complicated time due to the deep economic crisis that the country is going through. In these circumstances, he maintains, to continue making films “we must appeal to the imagination, to the passion that people and actors have,” because “we cannot give up making films.”
The filmmaker is moved when describing the public’s reception, which he describes as “extraordinary.” After its presentation in Cuba, the feature film has toured Spain, Argentina, Colombia and France, where the reaction of viewers has been “just as warm”, something that he admits has surprised him.
Perugorría especially highlights the work of Mirtha Ibarra, whom he considers “the heroine” of the film
Anonymous neurotic It is based on the play of the same name written by Cuban actress Mirtha Ibarra, who also plays its protagonist, Iluminada, an usher at a Havana cinema.
For three decades, that movie theater has been her refuge, a sanctuary where she finds the tranquility necessary to escape her frustrations, domestic violence and her own neurosis. However, the building is at risk of being demolished due to structural problems.
Faced with the threat, Iluminada faces institutional indifference and, together with her co-workers, decides to film a documentary to defend Cuban cinema, the space to which she feels she belongs.
Perugorría especially highlights the work of Mirtha Ibarra, whom he considers “the heroine” of the film. He describes her as “a woman who, despite her age, 80 years old, has vitality, youth and a desire to do things.”
“Her character –Iluminada– is an example for me. That this elderly woman changes her life and starts over, tries to fight and put together an entire team to save a movie theater, that seems admirable to me,” she emphasizes.
The feature film also has special appearances by performers who wanted to support the project, among them the Puerto Rican Benicio del Toro, the Spanish Susana Pous and several Cuban artists.
The Goya aspiration also represents the possibility of recovering a tradition of Cuban presence in the Spanish Academy Awards.
Perugorría recognizes the influence of the great directors with whom he worked as an actor, especially Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Titón, and Juan Carlos Tabío, co-directors of Strawberry and chocolatethe film that launched him to international recognition.
The filmmaker considers that his work behind the cameras collects the teachings of those teachers and the experiences accumulated during his artistic career.
After directing Affinities (2010), chronic love (2012), for sale (2012) and Fátima or the Fraternity Park (2015), Anonymous neurotic It is his fifth feature-length fiction film as a director, a work that, as he explains, “plays a lot with Cuban nostalgia and our own cinema.”
The Goya aspiration also represents the possibility of recovering a tradition of Cuban presence in the Spanish Academy Awards. Since 1988, several productions from the Island have competed for the award, which Strawberry and chocolate achieved in 1995.
However, since 2016, when wedding dressby Marilyn Solaya, got a nomination for best Ibero-American film, no Cuban feature film has been among the finalists in that category again.
The fourth edition of Isla Verde was postponed until further notice due to the crisis that Cuba is going through
“I think returning to the Goya with a Cuban film is important. The simple fact of being pre-nominated is for us a reason for gratitude, and very special because of my professional relationship with Spanish cinema,” says Perugorría, known among those close to him as Pichi.
The actor has also recently participated in The Comedian Paradoxby Cuban director Arturo Sotto, whose filming he describes as “extremely complicated” because it was made at the “most acute moment of the crisis.”
Added to this are his works in international television productions, including The machinealong with the Mexicans Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, and the Spanish series Tefía’s nightsfocused on the harsh conditions of a concentration camp during Franco’s regime.
Despite the difficulties, Perugorría insists on his desire to “not stop working and continue making films.” He also declares himself “very proud and in love” with the Isla Verde International Festival, a project that he has been leading since 2023 in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
The fourth edition of the meeting, scheduled for 2026 on the Isle of Youth, was postponed until further notice due to the crisis that Cuba is going through, according to its organizing committee. Perugorría is confident, however, of recovering the festival in 2027 and assures that next year “we are going to do it.”
