Slightly Independent and Illegal: Yaima Pardo’s films OFF_LINE and SWITCH ON at the Crossroads of Literacy, Inclusion and Digital Filmmaking in Contemporary Cuban Cinema

Cuban filmmaker Yaima Pardo creates a participatory digital literacy campaign in her documentary OFF_LINE (2013) and documentary series SWITCH ON (2013-present). Through her work she establishes a multi-directional dialogue on digital literacy. Beyond this call for digital literacy, Pardo herself is part of a contemporary generation of Cuban filmmakers, nuevos realizadores that depend on digital technology to make, distribute and exhibit their works despite their illegal status as the Cuban state does not recognize their independent production companies. Challenging over five decades of control, Pardo and her peers are part of a larger national fight to redefine Cuban film.