Miguel Coyula

• Name — Miguel Coyula

• Born — 1977 03 31

• Birthplace — Havana, Cuba

• Citizenship — Cuban

• Occupation — Film director, writer, and editor

• Education — International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños, Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute

• Years Active — 1999–present

• Awards — * Guggenheim Fellowship * Best Director, Biznaga de Plata, Málaga Film Festival, Latin American Territory (Memories of Overdevelopment, 2010) * HFPA Best Ibero-American Film, Jorge Cámara Award, Guadalajara International Film Festival (Blue Heart, 2021) * Best Film, Envision Competition, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam * Special Jury Prize in the Vanguard and Genre Competition at the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival * [Best Latin American Documentary of the Year Award, Cinema Tropical (Chronicles of the Absurd, 2024)

• Father — Mario Coyula Cowley

• Partner — Lynn Cruz

Miguel Coyula Aquino (born March 31, 1977), professionally known as Miguel Coyula, is a Cuban film director, writer, cinematographer and editor. His work moves between fiction and documentary filmmaking, often noted for its radical approach in both form and content. He developed a personal production methodology in which limitations and obstacles become part of the creative process. Working with a multi-disciplinary approach, his films usually take several years to complete. He has been described by critics as a virtuoso and an innovator. The multi-layered narratives of his films often deal with alienation, containing graphic depictions of sexuality, and frontal criticism of both society and politicians. The controversial nature of his work has resulted in the banning of his work in Cuba, although it has also suffered censorship in Argentina, Belarus, Morocco, and Beirut. The press has often referred to him as the enfant terrible of Cuban Cinema.

At age 17, he made his first short with a VHS camcorder, which led to his admittance to Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television (The International Film and Television School) of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. His work spans fiction and documentary cinema. In 2001, he received a scholarship at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. While attending the Strasberg Institute, Coyula made his first feature, Red Cockroaches (2003), for less than $2000 over a two-year period. The film was described by Variety as "a triumph of technology in the hands of a visionary with know-how..." The film won over twenty awards in film festivals around the world.

In 2009, Coyula was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship by The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for developing his second feature, the film Memories of Overdevelopment (2010), a follow-up to the Cuban classic Memorias del Subdesarrollo (1968), based on the novel by Cuban writer Edmundo Desnoes. After its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the film garnered several awards and honors. The International Film Guide described it as one of the best films Cuba has produced. In 2013 La Pereza Ediciones published his first novel Mar Rojo, Mal Azul.

From 2015 to the 2016 he produced the web Series Rafael Alcides and the documentary feature Nobody (2017) which won the Best Documentary award at the Global Film Festival in Santo Domingo. His latest feature Blue Heart (2021), was filmed over ten years in Havana, premiered at the Moscow International Film Festival and won the Hollywood Foreign Press Association award at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. Cineaste described the film as "...the culminating point of Coyula's artistic growth. It stands as his most visceral experience..."

His second novel, La Isla Vertical was published in 2022 by Ediciones Deslinde, and in 2024 his essay book, Matar el Realismo by Hurón Azul Ediciones, both in Madrid.

In 2024, his documentary Chronicles of the Absurd won the Envision Competition Award for Best Film at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

• Pirámide (1996)

• Válvula de luz (1997)

• Detalles (1998)

• Idea (1998)

• Buena Onda (Nice Going) (1999)

• Bailar sobre agujas (Dancing on Needles) (1999)

• Clase Z "Tropical" (2000)

• El Tenedor plástico (The Plastic Fork) (2001)

• Red Cockroaches (2003)

• Memorias del Desarrollo (aka Memories of Overdevelopment) (2010)

• Nadie (Nobody) (2017)

• Corazon Azul (aka Blue Heart) (2021)

• Crónicas del Absurdo (aka Chronicles of the Absurd) (2024)

• Envision Competition Award for Best Film, IDFA, The Netherlands, 2024

• Special Jury Prize, BAFICI, Argentina, 2025

• Best Non-Fiction film, Cinema Tropical, United States, 2026

• Special Mention, The Latino & Iberian Film Festival at Yale, USA, 2022

• Award for audacity, Minsk International Film Festival, Belarus, 2021

• HFPA Jorge Camara Award for Best Latinamerican Film, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Mexico, 2021

• Nominated for the Golden St.George Award, Moscow International Film Festival, Russia, 2021

Memorias del Desarrollo has won 20 awards, including:

• Audience award for Best Foreign Film, Mostra Principal, Arraial CineFest, Brasil, 2012

• Best Director of Latinamerican Section, Málaga Film Festival, Spain 2011

• Best Film, Muestra Nacional de Nuevos Realizadores, Cuba, 2011

• Special Award, Premios ACE, USA, 2011

• Cine Latino Award, Washington DC Independent Film Festival, USA, 2011

• Most Innovative, Cero Latitud Film Festival, Ecuador, 2010

• Best Narrative Feature, Dallas Video Fest, USA, 2010

• Best Feature, New Media Film Festival, USA 2010

• Special Mention, Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, USA, 2010

• Best Film, Havana Film Festival New York, USA, 2010

Red Cockroaches has won 23 awards, including:

• Best Editing, Fearless Tales Genre Festival, USA, 2005

• GreenCine Online Film Festival, New Media Film Festival, USA, 2005

• Best Film, Microcinema Festival, USA, 2004

• Special Jury Award, Muestra de Jóvenes Realizadores, Cuba, 2004

• Gran Premio Plaza, Festival Cineplaza, Cuba 2004.

• Special Mention for Visual Concept, Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre, Argentina, 2004

• Best Editing, Encuentro Nacional de Video, Cuba, 2004

• Special Mention, Festival Internazionale de la Fantascienza, Italy, 2004.

• Best Feature, Festival Almacén de la Imagen, Cuba, 2003

• Mar rojo, mal azul (2013)

• La isla vertical (2022)

• Matar el Realismo (2024)