“Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” returns to Sedona by popular demand after a sold-out New York Film Critics Series premiere event in April. There will be four additional shows. Each screening will include a recorded Q&A with stars from the film and the director, hosted by Peter Travers from Rolling Stone Magazine.
“In order to write about life, you must first live it,” said Ernest Hemingway.
The first Hollywood film to shoot on location in Cuba since the 1959 revolution, “Papa: Hemingway in Cuba” is the true-life story of a young journalist who finds a father figure in legendary author Ernest Hemingway. Their relationship began in the late 1950s when Ed Myers —then a junior reporter at The Miami Herald — wrote a fan letter to his idol. Myers thought he was being pranked when the larger than life Hemingway phoned the newsroom a week later, inviting him to Havana.
Hidden away at his private estate with his wife Mary, the elusive author mentors Myers in fishing, drinking and finding his voice while the Cuban Revolution boils up around them. In this turbulent landscape, observing an icon in his twilight years, Myers discovers his strength while recognizing that all of our heroes are human.
“Papa” is directed by Bob Yari, whose credits as a producer include the Oscar-winning Best Picture “Crash” and “The Illusionist”. With its title derived from the Nobel Prize-winning novelist’s nickname, “Papa” is based on an autobiographical script by Denne Bart Petitclerc. Giovanni Ribisi plays Ed Myers in the film. Theater and screen veteran Adrian Sparks portrays Hemingway; Joely Richardson is his wife, Mary.