Author's Biography:
Juan Pablo Daranas Molina is a Cuban filmmaker based in New York City and Rome. He is the founder of FILA20, an independent production company whose work has screened at festivals including Venice, Sundance, Clermont-Ferrand, Warsaw, Glasgow, Tampere, New Orleans, Rooftop Films, and HollyShorts. He has written and directed films for institutions and brands such as The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Galleria Continua, Louis Vuitton, MoMA, and Pro-Keds. Juan Pablo holds an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. His thesis film, executive-produced by Spike Lee, was selected for the inaugural Corto Condorello program, an international initiative sponsored by MUBI and overseen by Paolo Sorrentino. He has also been selected for Berlinale Talents, the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, the Spike Lee Production Fund, Fondazione Piccolo America’s Residency, and the NYU Production Lab Development Studio. He is a two-time recipient of NYU’s Purple List.
Script Synopsis:
José works at a state-owned farm in a small Cuban town. Amid the country’s decades-long crisis, he survives by selling eggs on the black market, hoping to save enough money to leave the island with his wife and young son. One night during a blackout, thieves break into his home and steal everything, including the family’s savings. With no help from the authorities, José and his family are left struggling to survive. Days later, José spots a little girl wearing shoes that were stolen from his son. Convinced the shoes will lead him to the rest of what was taken, he begins following the girl and her mother, setting off a growing conflict between the two families. Since the girl’s mother is the widow of a military chief, José’s obsession takes on dangerous political repercussions. But as his family’s situation worsens, he is pushed toward increasingly desperate choices.
Director's STATEMENT:
I was born in Cuba the year the Soviet Union collapsed, when my country entered a crisis that has never ended. My generation grew up with daily blackouts, shortages of food and basic goods, and strict state control over nearly every aspect of our lives. This shaped the Cuba of today, where institutions rarely protect ordinary citizens, and people must operate outside the law to survive. Set in this context, The Other Family is a socially grounded thriller told from an intimate point of view. The mystery-driven plot draws the audience into the protagonist’s psychological unraveling as a simple incident escalates into an obsessive pursuit. While deeply rooted in the specificity of contemporary Cuba, the film speaks to a universal human experience, exploring how societal structures force ordinary people to make impossible choices.
PRODUCTION INFO 2026
The Other Family is currently in development. The project has received support from the Fondazione Piccolo America Residency in Rome, the Spike Lee Production Fund, and the HEAR US Award. Production in Cuba is being led by FILA20, which has over a decade of experience working on the island, with projects that have premiered at the Venice and Sundance Film Festivals. With key creative elements in place and principal casting underway, the team is advancing toward financing and seeking international co-production partners.