Curriculum vitae

about me

Eliecer Jiménez Almeida (Vertientes, Cuba, 1983) is a Cuban-American filmmaker whose work operates at the intersection of documentary, essay film, fiction, and experimental cinema. His practice explores themes of memory, censorship, exile, and the cultural dynamics of Cuba and its diaspora. Founder of ikaik films (2008), a project dedicated to independent and experimental cinema, his documentary Veritas (2022) has been part of the catalogs of PBS, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, WORLD Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla, and Alexander Street since 2024. His films Para construir otra casa and Para construir otra ciudad premiered on PBS in 2025. Persona (2014), Entropía (2013), Now! (2016), and Veritas (2022) were presented at Documenta 15 through INSTAR’s program. Persona (2014) won the Best Short Film Award at the Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale (USA, 2016) and has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Ludwig Forum Aachen, and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Among other recognitions, Usufructo (2011) received the EICTV Special Award at the Gibara International Poor Film Festival (Cuba, 2012), and La faz de las aguas (2012) won Best Short Film at the Handle Climate Change International Film Festival (China, 2017). He has been a visiting filmmaker at institutions such as Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, City University of New York, Rutgers University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Miami, Florida International University, State University of New York–Oswego, and Le Moyne College. He holds a diploma in Documentary Filmmaking from EICTV (San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba), participated in the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (2016), and earned two master’s degrees from Florida International University (FIU), in Mass Communication (2022) and Hispanic Literature (2024). He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at FIU, where he researches Cuban diasporic cinema, and a resident at the Cuban Heritage Collection as part of the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Program, where he is developing the documentary project Libertas.

Filmography

Libertas / Director / 2026 / 80 min. / Documentary (Work in progress)
Miami Stories / Director / 2025 / 70 min. / Fiction
Untitled: Cuba in Rick Ray’s Eye / Director / 2024 / 22 min. / Documentary
Mindtrance: 30 Frames / Director / 2024 / 64 min. / Experimental
Havana Stories / Director / 2023 / 80 min. / Fiction
Looking for Benengeli / Director / 2023 / 12 min. / Documentary
It Is Not a Cinema / Director / 2023 / 3 min. / Video art
I, Apostle / Director / 2023 / 3 min. / Documentary
Quiet / Director / 2023 / 5 min. / Documentary
Noise / Director / 2023 / 5 min. / Documentary
Overtime / Director / 2022 / 3 min. / Documentary
To Build Another City / Director / 2022 / 15 min. / Documentary
Tengo / Director / 2022 / 3 min. / Video art
8@ / Director / 2022 / 5 min. / Documentary
La isla que se repite / Director / 2022 / 25 min. / Documentary
Isla / Director / 2022 / 27 min. / Video art
Exilio / Director / 2021 / 1 min. / Video art
XXX: Made in Cuba / Director / 2021 / 8 min. / Mockumentary
Veritas / Director / 2021 / 70 min. / Documentary
Para construir otra casa / Director / 2017 / 15 min. / Documentary
Mater Dei / Director / 2017 / 10 min. / Documentary
Semiótica de la mentira / Director / 2017 / 11 min. / Documentary
Elegía / Director / 2016 / 10 min. / Documentary
Now! / Director / 2016 / 6 min. / Documentary
Entropía / Director / 2015 / 74 min. / Documentary
Persona / Director / 2014 / 27 min. / Documentary
Mi saoco / Director / 2013 / 29 min. / Documentary
Verdadero beach: la playa del pueblo / Director / 2012 / 6 min. / Documentary
Diversionismo ideológico / Director / 2012 / 2 min. / Video art
La faz de las aguas / Director / 2012 / 10 min. / Documentary
En un paquete de spaguettis / Director / 2011 / 39 min. / Documentary
Arte soy / Director / 2011 / 3 min. / Video art
Patria (Usufructo) / Director / 2011 / 10 min. / Documentary

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

2020- Visiting Filmmaker at Coral Gables Museum, USA.
2019- Visiting Filmmaker at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, USA.
2019- Visiting Filmmaker at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.
2019- Editor-Producer at Univision Deportes, Miami, USA.
2018- Visiting Filmmaker at MoMA. New York, USA.
2017- Visiting Filmmaker at Yale University. Connecticut, USA.
2017- Video Editor. Arte, RAI, PM Films. France, Italy & USA.
2017- Visiting Filmmaker at FIU Cuban Research Institute. Miami, USA.
2017- Graphic Designer. Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale. Connecticut, USA.
2017- Visiting Filmmaker at New York University- NYU. New York, USA.
2017- Photographer. Diario Las Américas. Miami- USA.
2017- Photographer. Azure Azure Global Luxury Magazine. Miami, USA.
2017- Producer. Univision Communications Inc. Miami- USA.
2017- Video Editor. Latino Public Broadcasting, ITVS, NEH. Miami, USA.
2016- Visiting Filmmaker at Yale University. Connecticut, USA.
2016- Video Editor. El Ingenio. Miami, USA.
2016- Visiting Filmmaker at Columbia University. New York, USA.
2016- Visiting Filmmaker at New York University- NYU. New York, USA.
2016- Producer, Writer, Videographer, Editor & Journalist. HispanoPost Media Group. Miami, USA.
2015- Visiting Filmmaker at University of Miami. Miami, USA.
2015- Visiting Filmmaker at The City University of New York- CUNY. New York, USA.

STREAMING DISTRIBUTION

2025 — PBS — Para construir otra casa
2025 — PBS — To Build Another City
2025 — Kanopy — Veritas
2025 — Alexander Street — Veritas
2024 — PBS — Veritas
2024 — WORLD Channel — Veritas
2024 — Amazon Prime — Veritas
2024 — Apple TV — Veritas

GROUP ART EXHIBITIONS

2024 — Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive — Persona; Now!
2023 — Ermita de la Caridad — Exilio
2022 — Espacio 23 — Havana Stories
2022 — Documenta 15, Kassel, Germany — Persona; Now!; Entropía; Veritas
2022 — American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora — Mater Dei; Veritas
2021 — Miami Art Week — Exilio
2020 — Coral Gables Museum — Persona
2018 — MoMA — Cuban Cinema under Censorship — Persona
2018 — Aachen Forum Ludwig, Germany — Persona
2018 — 00Havana Biennial — To Build Another House
2014 — CDAV — Arte Soy
2013 — FIVAC — La era del yelo
2011 — Salon Fidelio Ponce de León — Arte Soy
2011 — FIVAC — Arte Soy

HONORS AND AWARDS

2025 — Best Indie Feature Film (Low Budget), Florence Film Awards, Italy — Miami Stories
2025 — Best Feature-Length Documentary, Latino & Native American Film Festival, USA — Veritas
2023 — 50th Anniversary Medal, Our Lady of Charity, USA — Virgen Mambisa [Exiliada]
2022 — Selected Artist, Documenta 15, Kassel, Germany — Persona; Now!; Entropía; Veritas
2021 — Recognition of Artistic Merit, City of Miami, USA — Veritas
2018 — Selected for “Cuban Cinema under Censorship,” MoMA, USA — Persona
2017 — Short Film Award, Handle Climate Change Film Festival, China — La faz de las aguas
2016 — Short Film Award, Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale, USA — Persona
2014 — Honorable Mention, 11th Gibara International Film Festival, Cuba — Persona
2014 — First Prize Documentary, Green Fest, Serbia — La faz de las aguas
2013 — Grand Prize, National Festival of Audiovisuals, Cuba — Entropía
2013 — Best Documentary Award, National Festival of Audiovisuals, Cuba — Entropía
2013 — Documentary Award, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — Mi saoco
2013 — Young Memory Award, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — Mi saoco
2013 — Best Photography Award, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2013 — A. N. Jiménez Award, Muestra Joven ICAIC, Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2013 — Special Jury Award, “El Almacén de la Imagen,” Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2013 — Best Photography Award, “El Almacén de la Imagen,” Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2013 — Best Editing Award, “El Almacén de la Imagen,” Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2012 — Best Video Art Award, Festival Surimagen, Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2012 — UNEAC Award, Festival Surimagen, Cuba — La faz de las aguas
2012 — SIGNIS Award, “El Almacén de la Imagen,” Cuba — En un paquete de spaguettis
2012 — Video Award, University-Society-Heritage Event, Cuba — En un paquete de spaguettis
2012 — EICTV Award, Gibara Film Festival, Cuba — Usufructo
2012 — Best Videography Award, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — Usufructo
2012 — Best Editing Award, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — Usufructo
2012 — Best Sound Design Award, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — Usufructo
2012 — Honorable Mention, “Ania Pino in memoriam,” Cuba — Usufructo
2011 — Grand Prize, Festival Cine Plaza, Cuba — Usufructo
2011 — Non-Budget Award, Festival Surimagen, Cuba — Usufructo
2011 — Second Prize, Festival Surimagen, Cuba — Usufructo
2011 — SIGNIS Award, “El Almacén de la Imagen,” Cuba — Usufructo
2010 — National Prize for Cultural Journalism Rubén Martínez Villena, Cuba
2009 — National Prize for Cultural Journalism Rubén Martínez Villena, Cuba