Forget the cigars and vintage cars—this is Havana's real soul, brick by crumbling brick.
Viva El Vedado presents the history of the Havana neighborhood of El Vedado from the last quarter of the 19th century through the Cuban Revolution and highlights its varied and outstanding architecture. Known as a cultural center of Havana, Vedado is particularly notable for its unique collection of Cuban architecture of the 20th century. The film’s goal is to introduce its audiences to the neighborhood’s remarkable architecture, its vibrant life, and the need for preserving Vedado as part of Havana’s heritage. It is a glimpse beyond tourist fantasies and stereotypes, a rare view of one of Havana’s most important neighborhoods.
Cinematography
Gorgeously decaying façades shot like they're movie stars.
Direction
Patient, unsentimental eye—no travel brochure nonsense.
Director
Stanley J. Staniski
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
El Vedado was Havana's first planned suburb, designed in 1859 to escape Old Havana's chaos—now it's the chaos worth saving.
Director Stanley J. Staniski spent years documenting Vedado before Cuban restoration laws shifted in 2019, capturing a transitional moment now politically impossible to replicate.
US
