
El tren de la linea norte (The Train on the Northern Railway). 2015. Cuba. Directed by Marcelo Martin. 80 min.
In this sort-of road travel documentary, a film crew delves into the realities of the northern region of Cuba’s Ciego de Ávila Province during a trip on the Carro de Puertas, a single-car train. Although the crossing is located at Punta Alegre Moron, they make a decisive stop halfway, in Falla, a town frozen in time at some point in the early 1990s and ravaged by the economic crisis. There, amid both material and spiritual ruins, the film crew documented the poverty and neglect of several generations of Cubans. Despite being included in a number of Cuban and international film festivals and qualifying for several awards, the film was never exhibited in Cuba. Despite his intense desire for a theatrical release, director Marcelo Martin was never officially informed why it was withheld from Cuban audiences.