Miami, July 16, 2018 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Tower Theater continues its exclusive movie lineup with the theatrical releases of Sergio & Sergei on July 27, and Cuban Food Stories on Aug. 10, both were filmed in Cuba and celebrated U.S. premieres at MDC’s renowned Miami Film Festival (MFF).
Sergio & Sergei is the latest film from award-winning Cuban director Ernesto Daranas Serrano, whose previous film Conducta was a runaway hit at MDC’s Tower Theater. It was also a Goya Nominee for Best IberoAmerican film. Described by The Hollywood Reporter as “a satisfyingly wild ride,” Sergio & Sergei tells the story of two strangers left in limbo after the Soviet Union’s collapse: Havana University professor Sergio and Soviet cosmonaut Sergei.
Sergio was already struggling to provide for his family, but the demise of the USSR, and the onset of Cuba’s “Special Period,” leaves he and his countrymen in newly dire straits. Sergei, meanwhile, is abandoned in space when the funding to bring him back evaporates. When Sergio, who’s also a ham radio enthusiast, chances upon a channel in direct contact with the MIR space station, he and Sergei become friends—and draw the interest of the authorities.
Sergio & Sergei, which was also an official selection of the Toronto Film Festival, is a crowd-pleasing comedy about connections between individuals marginalized by history and politics, one of them stuck on an island, the other stuck in orbit: on Earth as it is the heavens.
The film stars Tomás Cao, who presented the film at the U.S. premiere during the Miami Film Festival in March, Hector Noa, Ron Perlman, and Mario Guerra. American actor Ron Perlman is an executive producer in addition to his supporting acting role. Sergio & Sergei opens exclusively at MDC’s Tower Theater, July 27, at 7 p.m.
Cuban Food Stories is a mouth-watering food documentary shot entirely in Cuba and centered on Cuban cuisine by Cuban-American director Asori Soto. Hailed by Variety as “eye-opening in every way, especially for those who may think that Cuban food is just rice and beans,” the film is a visual delight and played to a sold-out crowd during its U.S. premiere during the Miami Film Festival in March. Asori Soto returns to Miami to present the opening night of the film’s theatrical run at the Tower Theater, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m.
Also selected for the Berlin Film Festival’s Culinary Cinema program, Cuban Food Stories visits every province in the country to sample a culinary legacy grounded in so much more than the old staples of pork and rice. Paragons of Cuba’s characteristic adaptability and creativity, the film’s subjects—which include an artist turned restauranteur and nuclear physicist turned fisherman—create mouth-watering meals with ingredients such as coconut milk, cacao, lobster and river shrimp. Until now devoid of franchises and the fraught agricultural practices that often come with a place at the global economic table, Cuba is undergoing a period of sweeping change, making the preservation of its culinary heritage a priority—and making Cuban Food Stories a must-see. Cuban Food Stories opens exclusively at MDC’s Tower Theater, Aug. 10, with director Asori Soto in attendance that night only.
Tickets are available at www.towertheatermiami.com. Tickets are $11.75 for adults; $9.50 for seniors, students and MDC staff; and $8 for MDC students, Tower Theater and Miami Film Society members. Free parking available in the lot behind the theater.
WHAT: MDC’s Tower Theater to Present Sergio & Sergei and Cuban Food Stories
WHEN: Sergio & Sergei- Opens Friday, July 27, 7 p.m.
Cuban Food Stories – Opens Friday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m.
WHERE: MDC’s Tower Theater, 1508 S.W. Eight Street