CORE TEAM
Art jones - writer/director/producer
Art heads Great Jones Productions in New York, and as director/producer,fuses filmmaking with community-building to spark social action. His narrative films, "Dodgeball," "Going Nomad" and "Lustre" have played on HBO, PBS and in theaters, parking lots and bare-bulb basements across America. His documentary, "The Blood in this Town" traveled to all 50 states, sharing revitalization know-how with struggling small towns and cities. Art graduated from Brown, lives in Brooklyn and serves as Adjunct Professor of Film at Hunter College. He’s been nominated for Film Independent's John Cassavetes Award and does all stunts without a net.
RAphael duvernay - c0-director of photography/producer
Born in the French Alps, Raphael left for Paris to pursue a career in filmmaking. He met sound engineer Corentin Vinçon at the prestigious film school, ESRA (Ecole Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle), and since then, the two friends have collaborated on numerous film projects. In 2000, Raphael served as location manager for an American crew filming in Paris, and met Art Jones. One year later, Art assisted Raphael and his French team on “Trip,” Duvernay’s first short film, shot on location in NYC. Since then, Raphael has kept busy both as a director of photography and director. His passion for filming is only rivaled by his appetite for new adventures, whether it's a music video shot in Beirut for an Iraqi rock band, a documentary in Haiti or his latest short, “Auberge,” filmed in rural France.
joe foley - co-director of photography/producer
Joe Foley has been working in film for two decades and has shot 15 features. Filmmaking has taken him all over the world from Morocco, Helsinki, Singapore, Cambodia, and Bali to Paris and South Pasadena. Even though he has shot music videos in Ghana, television in Seoul and corporate videos in Shanghai, he found no location as exotic or as captivating as Cuba. The colors and designs there are magical and the people are incredibly warm and inviting. Working with the international team on “Forbidden Cuba” was a dream come true (if your idea of a dream is to shoot for 19 days straight and eat grilled lobster every other night). It was an amazing experience that continues to give, as the producing team works to craft a final dynamic film.
corentin vinçon - sound engineer/producer
Born a pure concrete-loving Parisian, Corentin grew up in a family of artists, feeding his passion for radio, film and travel. He befriended filmmaker Raphael Duvernay during their time at the prestigious film school, ESRA (Ecole Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle), and both partner frequently on a variety of projects that offer Corentin both technical challenges and distinct human perspectives. In pursuit of these two guiding principles, Corentin has dragged his sound gear from one end of the globe to the other, from the jungle islands of the South Pacific to the dry heights of Kabul, working on documentaries, narrative projects, and the occasional setting-up of a radio station. Corentin served as the sound engineer for Duvernay’s first short film, "Trip." and most recent short, “Auberge.” With the promise of recoding challenges and wild adventure, Corentin joined Art Jones’ crew for “Forbidden Cuba” and continues to serve as a core member of the producing team.
CAST AND CREW
Cast
Gil Bigelow / Art Jones
Jerry Ungler / Matthew Gordon
Don Salazar / Craig Smith
Bob Jeffries / Joe Menino
Chuck Wonderman / Joe Watson
Teresa Wonderman / Idalmis Garcia
Baby Wonderman / Anarchy Severini
The Frenchman / Raphael Duvernay
Marcos, Local Cuban / Corentin Vinçon
Ted Fuller / Joe Foley
Oscar, Loud Bar Patron / Bernardo Cubria
Alicia / Jenniffer Turpeau
Javier, Bartender / Rafael Garcia
Mr. Wilcox / Danny Pollack
Little Gil Bigelow / Edison Jones
Laptop Thief / Nico Dancona