About the Director and the Director of Photography
Jens Wohlrab (Jounalist), born in 1961 in Dinslaken, Germany, studied journalism, German, and history at the University of Muenster. After graduation he trained with the newly founded RTL television studios in Leipzig. Less than a year later, he became an editor there. During the following three years he mainly worked on the TV programs »RTL Aktuell«, »Punkt 12«, and the »Morgenmagazin«. After these three years he resigned his secure job with RTL because he felt somewhat restricted by the private format of that time.
In 1999, after the Leipzig RTL studios were closed, Jens Wohlrab and several of his former colleagues founded the media production company »newsdoc«; the company was established as partner of the MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk).
Starting in 2001 he finally could devote himself to longer formats. He shot his first four-part film for the prime time evening program called »Emergency Animal Clinic« (»Notruf Tierklinik«), a forerunner of many of today’s TV-series.
In 2002 he made the documentary »Medical Blunder« (»Wenn Ärzte Fehler machen«).This film attracted sensational attention. Its first showing on NDR, the film was also shown on 3Sat, Phönix, Arte, and in Austria.
In 2003 Jens Wohlrab started his most lavish production up to now: the twelve-part series »GDR privately« (»DDR privat«). It caused a tremendous media response nationwide. During the twelve 30-minute documentaries different movie film directors portray their view of life in the former GDR with regard to special topics like vacation, fashion or the organization of leisure activities. The unusual editing technique of the films has often been copied thereafter by other film directors.
»DDR privat« was also shown on other ARD stations, on 3Sat, Phönix, Arte, the ORF, in Holland and in Luxembourg.
In 2003 Jens Wohlrab traveled to Havana for the first time. There he met cameraman and documentary filmmaker Jochen Beckmann a year later. The two teamed up and have since then regularly produced magazine reports for the TV station MDR, e. g. for the TV programs »Brisant«, »hier ab vier«, and »Dabei ab zwei«.
Jochen Beckmann (Director of Photography), born in 1959 in Freiburg, Germany, has now been living in Havana for 14 years. He has been accredited to film there for the German Television since 1998. He has been producing films for all German public service broadcasting stations. In addition, he works for geo-tv and Spiegel-tv.
He made a name for himself with his breathtaking shots for the Spiegel reports »Rio from above« (»Rio von oben«) and »Mexico from below« (»Mexiko von unten«). By shooting these two films, he showed that his scope of work is not limited to Cuba. He likewise provided material for the well-known TV series »ZDF-history« and »geo-tv360o».
His ability to speak Spanish fluently and his network including local authorities as well as personalities from the cultural sphere have allowed him access to people and information which many other people have tried hard to obtain, but in vain.
For a couple of years Jochen Beckmann has also been active as co-director, e. g. for two 30-minute reports for the SWR-magazine »Auslandsreporter« (»Foreign reporter«). For the MDR he produced as writer and cameraman the contribution »The Magic Flute in Havana« (»Zauberflöte in Havanna«). In a similar fashion he has worked for »arte-lola«, a women’s magazine.
And last but not least, he has impressed the German TV audience with his full-length documentatary »Tropicana Cabaret – a look behind the scenes« (»Tropicana – ein Blick hinter die Kulissen«), shown on Arte in March 2009.
Christian Sommer (painter). Christian Sommer acquired his artistic artisanry through thorough work. After vocational training as a graphic designer, he worked as a fashion illustrator for quite a few years. Through this experience he developed the ability to quickly comprehend a motive and to apply this to his paintings. But the »superficial beauty of fashion« soon became too boring for him and this is how his first free pieces of artistic work evolved.
Today Christian Sommer mostly sees himself as an artisan who gives the things a new expression – without deep or political intentions on side of the artist. He only depicts what is already within things! After an artistic phase of very reduced, simple and partly »exuberant« still lifes, he began turning to moving motives during the last couple of years: Christian Sommer is especially fascinated by the people on Cuba, who he depicted in many street and dance scenes. For the viewer he catches and shows the movement and dance as an expression of their authentic joy of life. Spurred on by this fascination, the idea for the movie »Baila!« developed.
Christian Sommer has been exhibiting his work publicly for 20 years. Apart from originals for a regular clientele and numerous art lovers, both national and international, some of his motives have been printed in a limited edition (http://www.ch-sommer.de) and successfully
sold.
Gerd Eberwein (production manager). For the realization of the idea »Baila! Cuba is dancing«, Christian Sommer won his long-term friend Gerd Eberwein as partner and co-producer. They both were present at the scene of action and decisively involved from the first shooting until cutting.