ABSTRACT
A student of Tomas G u tie rre z Alea, Tabio worked with him on Fresa y chocolate (Straw berry and Chocolate) (1993), the only Cuban film ever to be nominated for an Oscar and two years later co-directed Gutierrez Alea’s last film, Guantanamera (1995). He began his career as a production assistant at the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) where he directed his first documentary, Peligro
(Danger) in 1963. Twelve more followed, among them Dolly Back (1986), prize-winner at several festivals. His feature films include El elefante y la bicicleta (The Elephant and the Bicycle) (1956) and Lista de espera (Waiting List) (1999), which attest to his witty and critical vision of contemporary Cuban reality.
