I didn’t even realize that not only will Twilight stars Kristen Stewart (On the Road) and Robert Pattinson (Cosmopolis) be heading to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival this year, but another star of a recent teen sensation feature, The Hunger Games, will as well. Josh Hutcherson is at the center of the first chapter in 7 Days in Havana, the ensemble directorial effort from Benicio del Toro, Gaspar Noe, Elia Suleiman, Julio Medem, Laurent Cantet, Juan Carlos Tabio and Pablo Trapero.
Featuring Hutcherson along with Emir Kursturica, Daniel Bruhl, Vladimir Cruz, Daisy Granados, Othello Renzoli and Elia Suleiman, the pic tells a series of seven stories taking course over seven days in Havana, Cuba.
Day one (directed by Benicio del Toro) centers on Teddy Atkins (Hutcherson), a young American tourist who travels to Havana for the first time. His driver, a middle-aged Cuban cab driver who has a university degree in engineering will offer him a touristic tour of the city that is anything but traditional.
Day two (directed by Pablo Trapero) follows a well-known director travelling to Cuba to receive an award and going at the same time through a personal emotional crisis will find advice and help from an unexpected friend: his driver, a Cuban family man, humble, kind, who happens to be an incredible trumpet player.
Day three (directed by Julio Medem) centers on Cecilia, a Cuban singer, who is torn between accepting the offer of a Spanish impresario and following him in Spain to make a career, or staying in Havana with her boyfriend Jose.
Day four (directed by Elia Suleiman) follows ES, a Palestinian assigned to conduct an interview with a prominent Cuban figure in Havana. He wanders the city of Havana as he waits for his appointment. Gradually, what he thought to be killing time while waiting for his appointment becomes his test for his true identification.
Day five (directed by Gaspar Noe) follows Yamilslaidi, an attractive African-Cuban schoolgirl forced by her parents to go into a cleaning ritual. They are determined to get their daughter rid of the “curse” she has been put on: loving girls.
Day six (directed by Juan Carlos Tabio) is an immersion into one “normal” day in Mirta’s life: despite her two jobs, Mirta also devotes herself making candies in order to fulfill her home and family’s needs.
Day seven (directed by Laurent Cantet) tells of how Martha and her neighbors will go out of their way in order to set up a ceremony on time for the virgin Oshun, who appeared in Martha’s dreams asking for a public celebration to her name… that same evening!
Featured directly below are eight posters created for the film by Cuban graphic designer Nelson Ponce. I have presented each based on the order of the film with del Toro directing the first segment, titled “El Yuma”, and so on.
Next I have the promo reel and after that you can click here to browse the gallery of 15 additional pictures from the film.
7 Days in Havana will hit French theaters on May 30 and is still looking for domestic distribution.
