• Submitted by: lena campos
• Arts and Culture
• 10 / 18 / 2012

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In 1961, Fidel Castro said he wanted Cuba to have “the most beautiful academy of arts in the world,” so he and Che Guevara asked three visionary architects to design it.

Shortly after that, construction for Cuba’s National Art Schools began on the grounds of a former golf course in Havana, Cuba, and the school’s first classes soon followed.
 
But construction of this dream project suddenly halted when Castro and Guevara aligned themselves with the Soviet Union. What was once called an ambitious project soon became the “bourgeois and counter-revolutionary.”  Consequently, the lives of the architects were transformed drastically.

The new film “Unfinished Spaces” tells the story of how it all unfolded. It also follows the emotional journey of the three architects—Robert Gottardi, Ricardo Porro and Vittorio Garatti—who experienced heartbreak when their dream project came to an end, or what they thought was the end.
 
Roberto Gottardi, one of Cuba’s most well-respected architects.
Alysa Nahmias, one of the producers of “Unfinished Spaces,” said, “Viewers will walk away feeling a lot of admiration for the perseverance that these three characters show.”

“Unfinished Spaces” was aired October 12, on PBS from 10-11:00 p.m. ET, in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month. It is one of the four films featured in “Voces,” a series of documentaries showcasing the diversity that exists within the Latino culture.

Architects return to Cuba in “Unfinished Spaces”
More than 40 years have passed since the schools first opened its doors to students. Classes are still being taught but the project remains unfinished and the buildings are decaying.

However, Castro recently invited the exiled architects, who are now in their 80s, back to finish their dream project. But there are still obstacles they must face in order to resume their work.

“Unfinished Spaces” follows these men on a 10-year journey as they attempt to finish their unrealized dream project.

Nahmias said “Unfinished Spaces” also tells a historic account of Cuba.“It gives a lot of insight about the history of Cuba and it offers a rare look into a Cuba that is unknown to many,” she said.

Source: voxxi.com/