Las Tunas-born audiovisual maker is finishing his first full-length film, Los Cuervos, based on the novel of the same name written by Guillermo Vidal

Many people thought that his money was hidden, others thought he has put it in the bank. Nobody thought that after nine months working on a cultural project in Venezuela, Cuban audiovisual maker Alejandro Lora Ramos came back to Cuba with only eight dollars in his pocket, because all he had earned was spent on equipment to do his work.

Before Venezuela, he has worked in France and Spain, but the chance to buy his long-awaited equipment has not shown up. That is the reason why his work in Cuba and specifically in the eastern province of Las Tunas, was done with cameras rented for the day and with borrowed computers.

Sixteen months after his return from Venezuela, his economic status remains the same: he does not have a fixed wage, although his obsessions with making art without charging, but full of life and energy, have grown out of all proportion.
Those who were sceptical back in those days, now look at him differently; he is giving the final touches to his first major piece: the full-length film Los Cuervos, based on the novel of the same name written by the late Las Tunas-born writer Guillermo Vidal, produced by the Productora Audiovisual Acoytes, under the aegis of the Cinema, Radio and Television Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC after its abbreviation in Spanish) in this province.

Everything started a few days after he returned from Venezuela. Yuri Rojas, a professional actor from the Teatro Tuyo company, showed up in his house with a script of the movie and Alejandro was fascinated with the idea.
He has the equipment to begin this difficult task: his camera to shoot and his computer to do the editing. To these he could add his studies of Movie Direction at the Higher Institute of Arts, and all he has learned in his work, but something that at first sight looked like an impassable wall was missing: the money to produce the film and to pay the actors.

Making low budget cinema in the world requires at least a budget of $250,000 dollars. Then, how could they do a movie of an hour and 20 minutes without a cent? Even though, there were no doubts about getting started: they made a cast with amateur actors who were joined by some professional actors willing to work for the love of art and the shooting began, with a budget of $ 384 USD provided by the provincial office of the UNEAC in Las Tunas. They could only use half the money. After five months of shooting and getting around obstacles and misunderstandings, and in the editing process he was carrying out, other professionals of the sound and the score, which is almost finished, appeared; and in the last part of the process the filters, dubbing and the texture the film needed.

But the best is yet to come. The best moment will take place any day, when the film is finally presented to the movie-lovers, which will bring to an end a historical process for the culture of this province, which is proud because in their humble territory a movie was done with all the technical, artistic and professional requirements although there was not even money to eat.

(www.juventudrebelde.co.cu)