Biography of Filmmaker Agustin Blazquez
Anecdote: Before graduating, he and a fellow graduate purchased a Keystone 16 mm camera because 16 mm was the only film stock available in Cuba at that time. With the two reels of stock they were able to find to purchase, they produced two films for the sole purpose of obtaining the experience. They had no access to editing equipment, so the productions were shot in sequence. Due to the lack of everything from equipment to opportunity in post-revolutionary Cuba, they were able to view the films only once. There was no means to screen or otherwise distribute them. The two reels were left behind in Cuba to unknown fate. Agustin’s film production education continued by way of making experimental productions using an 8 mm home movie camera (including a silent musical) and video as soon as he obtained his first home video camera. He also took two courses offered by local cable TV. The rest was sheer will power.
In 1962 and 1963, Blazquez was a professional actor in Cuba’s official government film studio. Then, while living in Madrid in 1966-67, he pursued his acting career by appearing in numerous dramatic, musical and comedy television productions for TVE, Television Espanola. Agustin also went on to appear in radio and television after arriving in the U.S. In 2008 he was the narrator for the Cuban Spanish version of Welcome to the U.S. Guidebook for Refugees produced by the U.S. State Department.
After arriving in the U.S., Blazquez was struck by the inaccuracies and omissions on the subject of Cuba in the U.S. Media, and by the freedom to take action – leaving him feeling compelled, by 1968 to begin writing articles on the subject. Eventually numbering over 300 to date, his articles were distributed at first by U.S. Mail and word of mouth, later by fax, then by email and appearance on numerous websites. Some were published by the Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Washington Inquirer, etc. in the U.S. and others abroad. Internet sites such as Newsmax and FrontPage Magazine have also picked up his articles. He translated the book: The Mafia of Havana: The Cuban Cosa Nostra in 2002.
In 1995, his first documentary of the series Covering Cuba premiered at the American Film Institute in the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He then went on to produce Cuba: The Pearl of the Antilles, Covering Cuba 2: The Next Generation, Covering Cuba 3: Elian, presented at the 2003 Miami Latin Film Festival and the 2004 American Film Renaissance Film Festival in Dallas, Texas; Covering Cuba 4: The Rats Below, PATTERN OF DECEPTION BY DAN RATHER and Covering Cuba 5: Act Of Repudiation, Covering Cuba 6: CURACAO and Covering Cuba 7: Che, The Other Side of an Icon. His Covering Cuba series were shown at the Palm Beach International Latin Film Festival, and at the Miami International Book Fair. Agustin’s musical productions include: March of a Progressive with Steve Pichan; a compilation of the dance numbers from the movies of Maria Antonieta Pons. In 2005, he established Uncovering Cuba Educational Foundation, a 501c3, to aid in his documentary productions. His queue of future productions is long and continues to grow; he completed my decision on the life of singer Luisa Maria Guell (2012) and CONNECTING THE DOTS an expose of the lies, deception , scam and fraud in order to take over the U.S. (2012) and Ivan's journey (2013).
