A Film Maker on the Move: “Nestor Hernandez: The Black Pearl of Photographers” by Sandy Waters
For years Sandy Waters of Waters Reflextions film poured all of her energies into working and looking at over 25 hours of video footage to compile her latest documentary film: Black Pearl of Photographers”.
I am a graduate student at Howard University currently working on the completion on my thesis documentary film exploring my Cuban roots. I began working on my film several years ago as I became more involved in Cuban culture and policy issues. I have been researching and shooting countless events involving Cuba in the DC area as well as in Cuba on the several trips I have taken to my mother’s homeland.
It was in 2003 when I was preparing to go to Cuba with my family where my parents would celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in the same church they were married in my mother’s hometown of Holguin. During this time the U.S. government was stepping up its aggressive policy on Cuba and further tightening restrictions on the 40-year-old embargo. As I became more involved in the political climate surrounding Cuba, I started videotaping the numerous rallies and demonstrations of Cuban solidarity.
At one of those demonstrations I met Nestor Hernandez, a fellow Cuban-American photographer. Ironically, we both attended the Lemuel Penn Center, part of the Urban Journalism workshops of the DC Public School system, although he was a year ahead of me. At the urging of our former photojournalism teacher Lew Berry, who had been telling me over the years to give Nestor a call, I finally called him in 1998. We spoke a few times, but lost touch with each other until 2003 when we met in person at the Cuban Interest Section after the U.S. government sent seven Cuban officials back home accusing them of espionage.
Nestor and I became fast close friends. We began covering the various Cuban issues throughout the city together, he with his still photography and I with my camcorder. We attended photography exhibits, films, and cultural events as well as political events together. As I began working on a short film about Cuba and U.S. policies I interviewed Nestor. We had even discussed future plans to a do a documentary about his photography work with children in Cuba, Africa and the U.S.
After his untimely death in 2006 I started thinking about the documentary that we never got a chance to make. After the funeral I spoke with officials at the Cuban Interest Section where we had attended and covered many of their events about putting together a tribute video for Nestor. Along with his family who had plans to do a silent auction of Nestor’s photographs of Cuba at the embassy I would show a short film about my good friend so that everyone could see the many accomplishments of this humble man.
For the next month I poured all of my energies into working on this piece. I looked at over 25 hours of video footage of Nestor’s interviews, exhibit openings, and the several events we shot together. Because of our close friendship viewing these tapes as well as going through hundreds of his photographs, numerous awards and newspaper write-ups was extremely difficult for me and was a critical essence in my bereavement.
The first person narrative film was well received at the premiere screening at the Cuban Interest Section. I have since interviewed several of his family members, friends, colleagues and students whose testimonies attribute to the life cut short of an extraordinarily gifted photographer, teacher and human being.
Check out excerpts from the film in our film/video cafe
