A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) is the first of a series of installations that explores the documentary heritage of Latin America as reflected on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Established in 1992, the Register is an international initiative dedicated to protecting the world’s documentary heritage. At Its Own Rhythm focuses on the Register’s archive of Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano (ICAIC Latin American Newsreel). Launched in 1960 and produced weekly by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) until its demise in 1990, the Noticiero documented the revolutionary movements of Cuba and the so-called “Third World” with a sense of urgency. In 2012, and after years of neglect, its original negatives were included as part of Memory of the World, and are now restored and digitized, thanks to a bi-national agreement signed with France’s Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA). A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) reinterprets the audiovisual legacy of the Cuban Revolution, as seen through the lens of the Noticiero ICAIC. By using montage techniques that echo the aesthetics and ideas about the role of documentary filmmaking championed by its director, Santiago Álvarez, the film is a reminder of the powerful imagery created by ICAIC, and the role Cuba played in reshaping the iconography of the revolutionary movements of the world.
