Landi and Mercedes live in Cuba’s Zapata swamp, a biosphere reserve. To feed their sick child, Landi must secretly hunt crocodiles, leaving his wife and son behind for days on end. Amid social unrest and a global pandemic, To the West, in Zapata follows this loving family as they go to extreme lengths to survive, in a constant cycle of reunion and separation.
Al oeste, en Zapata
Cuba / 74 min / 2025 / documentary
Texas Premiere
in Spanish with English subtitles
Direction: David Bim
Cinematography: David Bim
Editing: David Bim
Producers: Wouter Jansen, Lia Rodriguez
For his debut feature film, Cuban director David Bim worked in complete solitude, with a scarcity of resources that mirrors the hardship endured by this family. Long, immersive sequence shots, marked by a rigorous naturalism, are elevated by stark black-and-white cinematography and the density of diegetic sound. Together, they convey the tension of solitary hunting in a hostile environment, as well as the rare, tender moments of connection and respite the trio share—before the next, always painful, separation. To the West, in Zapata portrays, with rare formal precision, the heartbreaking condition that binds its protagonists: living for one another, yet caught in an unending cycle of need and absence. - Emmanuel Chicon