Presentation / Film: People in Need and One World

October 03, 2013, 6:00 PM

Executive Director of People in Need, Šimon Pánek, will give a presentation on the humanitarian organization and its activities at the Czech Embassy on October 3, at 6 pm. People in Need’s (PIN) mission, which serves very close to Václav Havel’s vision, focuses on providing aid to crisis areas and supporting adherence to human rights around the world. A tool for People in Need’s activities is the One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, one of the largest film festivals in the world. The event includes the screening of the documentary Motherland or Death (Patria o muerte). Using Cuban cities as the backdrop to personal stories, renowned documentary director Vitaly Mansky depicts the complexity of contemporary Cuba. The Young Professionals in Foreign Policy will partner with the Czech Embassy on this event.  
Photo courtesy of One World

Motherland or Death (Patria o muerte)
Vitaly Mansky, 2011, 99 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles

“Motherland or Death (Patria o muerte).” This revolutionary slogan is contained in the title of this visually remarkable film. Using Cuban cities as the backdrop to personal stories, the renowned documentary maker Vitaly Mansky depicts the complexity of contemporary Cuba. As the regime begins to slightly relax its iron grip, the island begins to slowly open up to the world. Despite the economic hardship, a life full of passion, temperament and energy still pulsates in Cuban cities. Food is rationed and decent living conditions is an illusion for many. The dreams of today’s senior citizens, who believed in Fidel and his communist experiment 50 years ago, have not been fully realized. Children of these revolutionaries still follow the ideals of the revolution but do not seem all that convinced. Instead young people prefer to enjoy small pleasures the regime allows for.  While many Cubans look for life outside of Cuba, for tourists the island is for many reasons very special destination. Motherland or Death is the story of real life played out against the picturesque background of today’s Cuba.

Event Details:

Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic
3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW, Washington, DC

Admission is free. RSVP: reservations@mutualinspirations.org and put “PIN” in the subject line.