MIAMI, May 8, 2026 \u2014 The Cuban Cinema Series, presented by Miami Dade College\u2019s (MDC) Miami Film Festival, will premiere Naranjo, the latest documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Jorge Soli\u00f1o, on Friday, May 22, 2026, at 7 p.m. at MDC\u2019s Koubek Center.<\/p>\n
The documentary will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles. Admission is free, but RSVP is required.<\/p>\n
The film revisits and rediscovers the work of self-taught painter Orlando Gonz\u00e1lez Naranjo, born in Calabazar de Sagua, Las Villas, in 1937, about whom writer Reinaldo Arenas once said, \u201cA painting by Naranjo is an invitation that entices.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a story of exile, human fragility and the power of art as one\u2019s only homeland when other incentives in life have been lost.<\/p>\n
Orlando Gonz\u00e1lez Naranjo emigrated to the United States in 1984, convinced that artistic success would allow him to travel the world and, someday, return to his homeland.<\/p>\n
His body of work \u2014 imbued with nostalgia, color and pain \u2014 serves as a refuge where the faces of his lost land emerge: peasant women with large, unfathomable eyes; rural landscapes; national symbols; and deeply expressive visages that speak of uprootedness and survival.<\/p>\n
Orlando Naranjo\u2019s art has been featured in both solo and group exhibitions, where he has shared space with renowned masters such as Wifredo Lam, Amelia Pel\u00e1ez, Mario Carre\u00f1o and Gina Pell\u00f3n, among others. His paintings are also part of private collections in Poland, Spain, the United States and Venezuela.<\/p>\n
The documentary\u2019s score was composed by Omar Hern\u00e1ndez, with animation by Mario Garc\u00eda-Montes. Post-production was handled by Rafael Hern\u00e1ndez, and images of Calabazar de Sagua were captured by photographer Ra\u00fal \u201cEl Yuca\u201d Guti\u00e9rrez.<\/p>\n
Following the screening, director Jorge Soli\u00f1o and artist Orlando G. Naranjo will participate in a conversation with the audience.<\/p>\n
WHAT: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Miami Film Festival\u2019s Cuban Cinema Series Presents Naranjo<\/p>\n
WHEN:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
RSVP for free tickets: https:\/\/miamifilmfestival.com\/program\/event\/naranjo\/<\/a><\/p>\n