Still from Batería

All Films / Soil / Batería

Batería

Cuba / 2016 / 15m / Spanish

In-Person: : Sun 25 June / 19:00 BST

Online: 23 - 29 June

Hidden in the undergrowth of a disused military base just outside of Havana lies a refuge for gay men, for cruising, connection and imagining better futures.

In this important documentary, filmmaker Dami Sainz Edwards is interested in two subjects: the physical land of a clandestine cruising spot and the unnamed gay Cuban men who visit it. We meet several people who use the space for sex and socialisation and, through their own voices, learn about the rules, expectations and experiences that take place between these walls. To what extent is gay culture affected, when it is forced to exist in anonymity, away from the embrace of the cishet population? Batería (2016) speaks to the oppression and homophobia still present in Cuba today, and the continued culture of resistance that turns rubble into shelter.

  • Direction / Editing - Dami Sainz Edwards

    Production - Javier Ferreiro

    Cinematography - Héctor David Rosales

    Sound Design - Sergio Fernández Borrás

  • Captions by Sarya Wu

    British Sign Language by Grace Buckle

    BSL Editing by Tao-Anas Le Thanh

    Audio Descriptions provided by the International Digital Centre

Listen to…

Filmmaker Dami Sainz Edwards talk about Batería in our Audio Programme, Before the Applause - available wherever you get your podcasts.

Read Response

Hiding in Plain Sight

A Response to Batería, written by Andrés N Ordorica