Manuel Octavio Gomez

Manuel Octavio Gomez was among the best directors in Cuba during the ’60s and ’70s. He got his start as a film critic and journalist in pre-Castro Cuba. Gomez was basically a self-taught filmmaker until 1951 when he joined the newborn Cuban Film Institute and began working as an assistant director on documentaries. Gomez also created his own documentaries and made his feature-film directorial debut in 1965 with El Encuentro: La Salacion. From then on, he became known for his innovative interpretations of traditional genres and for the politically-charged, analytical themes of his films.