CubaPLUS Magazine

The Broken Teacher is the title of a Cuban film shot in Ecuador, produced by DAMASU PRODUCCIONES—a creative and cinematic collective associated with ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinematic Art and Industry)—featuring actors from Cuba, Ecuador, the United States, and Chile.

The film was shot entirely in the Ecuadorian province of Los Ríos, located midway between Quito and Guayaquil, an area known for its complex security situation and curfews. These locations were chosen for their authenticity, as DAMASU PRODUCCIONES aims to distribute the production on platforms such as Netflix, according to an exclusive statement to CubaPLUS by producer Daniel Martín Subiaut.

The movie was filmed following Netflix's technical requirements under the direction of JAEH (José Armando Estrada Hernández), who also wrote the script. It tells the story of Henry Fox, a U.S. veteran with a dark past who travels to South America in search of peace.

There, he is hired as a professor at a state university, but his life becomes emotionally entangled when he becomes involved with a student who is kidnapped. A criminal gang decides to eliminate him, and his Cuban-American ex-wife adds further turmoil as his life hangs in the balance.

According to Martín, a well-known Cuban singer who makes his acting debut in this film as both the lead and producer, love is the central theme of the movie: “It’s an inexhaustible subject, like bread. When you add ingredients that enhance its flavor, color, and appeal, it becomes a proven commercial formula.”

The production involved over forty artists and support staff from the four countries. Notable performances include seasoned actor Bernardo Menéndez, who also served as acting director, as well as young talents such as María del Cisne, Kevin Álava, Winter Charles, and Cuban actress Daniela Sánchez, remembered for her role as Danae in the telenovela Renacer.

This atypical fictional film for Cuban cinema, which enters post-production this November, had to be shot in Latin America because in Cuba, thanks to its social project, kidnappings and organized crime involving firearms do not occur, Martín explained.

When asked whether he has switched artistic genres, Martín stated: “I continue to preside over the ILM (Latin Music Institute) until 2027, but I’ve made time to explore pending interests. It takes double the effort, along with significant professional and family support, but I’ve achieved something I’ve waited decades for. Now that it’s here, I believe it will be a strong debut—especially since I’m also producing and composing the soundtrack.”

“I’ve expanded my territory in the arts—never exchanging one area for another. I’ve previously ventured into institutional administration and leadership, literature (I’ve written scripts and novels), and few know that I also enjoy painting. The arts and their forms of expression are interconnected. That’s why I love cinema: it combines a good script, good acting, good photography, good music, good costumes… it brings together so much of what I’ve done,” he concluded.