William Sabourin O'Reilly

In Santiago de Cuba, rival conga bands scour the sparse marketplace for materials to create show-stopping numbers for the annual Carnival competition. O’Reilly’s film follows young, innovative Lázaro, who is determined to beat “the Shark,” his older and more establishment-favored competitor. Tensions build and tempers flare as the government restrictions and scarcity of present-day Cuba come to bear on one of the world’s poorest Carnivals.

Explores the complex issue of racism through the memories of the picturesque city of Santiago de Cuba. CODIGO COLOR was initially made for Cuban youth who are unfamiliar with the history of racism in pre-revolutionary Cuba. The film is meant to be a catalyst to provoke discussions about the racism of the past and how this past still affects contemporary Cuba.