Hubert Sauper • France, Austria • 2020

An interrogation of time, imperialism, and cinema itself.

In 1898, the U.S.S. Maine sank in Havana Harbor, triggering the Spanish-American war. Cuba has since experienced imperialism in many forms, shaping the fabric of its society. Young Prophets populate the screen—schoolchildren versed in histories Cubans have woven in the wake of lasting interventionism and empire. A lone Austrian filmmaker wanders the streets, considering the legacy of filmmaking as an equally powerful tool of conquest.

Interrogating notions of time, imperialism and cinema itself, Epicentro paints an impressionistic portrait of modern-day Cuba. The sixth film from Oscar-nominated documentarian Hubert Sauper (Darwin’s Nightmare) premiered at CPH:DOX, Valladolid, and Sundance, where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.