Set in Cuba’s Zapata swamps, this intimate black-and-white documentary follows a father who secretly hunts crocodiles to feed his family, capturing the tensions of survival during the pandemic and a period of social unrest. Followed by a discussion on migration, political dissent, and everyday life in Cuba with Nadia Ivanova (Head of the Human Rights and Democracy Centre, People in Need) and Cuban documentary filmmaker and journalist Ismario Rodríguez Pérez. The discussion will be moderated by professor Katrin Hansing of Baruch College (CUNY).
Monday, March 30, 7 PM | film + discussion | TICKETS
To the West, in Zapata / dir. David Bim / 2025 / documentary / Cuba, Spain, USA / Spanish with English subtitles / 74 minutes
Landi and Mercedes live in Zapata, a remote and impoverished region of Cuba surrounding a protected national park. To support his family, Landi secretly hunts crocodiles with his bare hands. Meanwhile, Mercedes stays on shore, caring for their autistic son, searching for charcoal, and moving through the quiet rhythms of domestic life as news of the pandemic and social unrest drifts in by radio.
Filmed by a one-person crew, director David Bim, who accompanies Landi on his solitary hunts—the stark black-and-white cinematography and immersive sound design capture both the danger of the wilderness and the fragile tenderness of family life. Structured around two parallel worlds—Landi’s harsh landscape and Mercedes’s guarded home—the film portrays a couple living apart in order to remain together, bound by endurance, sacrifice, and quiet resilience.
The film had its world premiere at Visions du Réel (2025), where it received the FIPRESCI Award and the Special Jury Prize in the Burning Lights section.
David Bim studied at the Catalonia Film School (ESCAC) and graduated from the International Film School of Cuba (EICTV). Since 2017, he has created audiovisual and cultural programs for Taller Chullima, a nonprofit cultural space in Havana that hosts workshops and masterclasses by international artists. Since 2021, alongside his artistic work, he has also taught at EICTV. As a director, he spent the past eight years developing and shooting his debut feature, To the West, in Zapata (2025).
Ismario Rodríguez Pérez is a Cuban documentary filmmaker and journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. As Audiovisual Director at Periodismo de Barrio, his work explores migration, political dissent, and everyday life in Cuba through documentary film and investigative journalism. His series include Migrantes, Gente como tú, and Después del 11J. He contributed to a piece that won the 2019 Premio Gabo and is currently a fellow of Artists at Risk Connection. In New York, he continues to develop multimedia projects focused on Cuban affairs.
This screening is part of a film series presented by the Czech Center New York in partnership with the One World festival, Václav Havel Center, People in Need, and with support from the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association. The series features international films exploring urgent environmental and human rights issues, each accompanied by conversations with filmmakers, experts, and activists. Hosted at the Czech Center Cinema, the program is inspired by the civic and intellectual legacy of Václav Havel, whose 90th birthday we commemorate this year.
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