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mofini
His passion for travelling took him to South America in 1978 for the first time. He immediately fell in love with the land and its people and developed an affinity with the weavers of Peru and Ecuador. When he returned to England he founded Tumi Crafts in 1978 and in 1983 Tumi Music.
Tumi's aim has always been to bring these two worlds together through fair trade and to promote Latin American and Caribbean Arts and Music . This has been brought about by concerted effort in the cultural arena. In 1985 Mo Fini mounted a major exhibition of Peruvian textiles at the Commonwealth Institute in London. The exhibition was accompanied by a book entitled 'The Weavers of Ancient Peru' written by Mo Fini. During the six weeks of the exhibition an estimated 40,000 people visited. The exhibition involved bringing several mammies from the Peruvian deserts as well as indigenous families. To accompany the exhibition he wrote the book entitled “Weavers of Ancient peru”.
In 1987 Mo Fini, accompanied by his partner Lucy Davies toured South America on a motorbike. The journey, which lasted twelve months, raised several thousand pounds for Amnesty International
In 1995 he co-authored a book entitled 'Arts and Crafts of South America' for world-wide distribution by the London publishers Thames and Hudson. Once again, in order to do the final research for the book, Mo Fini, Lucy Davies and their five month old baby travelled in their landrover from Tierra del Fuego to Caracas, passing through thousands of villages. They covered some 40,000 miles.
During his 40 years of travelling in Latin America and Cuba,Mo Fini has researched and shot many educational documentaries for educational purposes. You can see some of his work in www.youtube.com/tumimusic
1991 award for effective communication
A creative, cultured and endlessly enthusiastic man, Mo Fini divides his time living and learning in England and Latin America. Life is a learning experience for the passionate photographer, textile expert, head of Tumi Music , author and enthusiastic member of the Grammy organisation.
In 1991, he was given the highest award for effective communication by The minister of foreign development Rt Hon. Lynda Chalker as well as award for Visnion.
Mo Fini is the author of 'Portrait of Latin America', 'Weavers of Ancient Peru' and, together with Lucy Davies, co-author of 'Arts and Crafts of Latin America' and co-author of “Dictionary of Cuban Music” together with diseased Cuban author Elio Oruvio.
In 1992 Mo Fini achieved his most ambitious project to date. After researching the lives of the Q’eros, a hidden community in the heart of the Andes, he set off with a film crew of 10 people and his friend Zado Nava and accompanied by some 14 horses and 30 kgs of film stock. The expedition took 29 days of filming and walking. The Q’eros,”in the search of last Incas” who lived at an altitude of 5000 metres above sea leval have lived in isolation from the rest of the world, awaiting the re-appearance of the Inca.
In 2017 after spending some 30 years recording and filming videos in Cuba he wrote the script “Mambo Man” as well as financing and directing it. The film is inspired by the life of one Mo’s close friends in Cuba. The movie is due to be finished during 2018 and released early 2020
Reviews
The Cuban (2019)
beautifully filmed and the camera is always in the right angle
As the director of mambo Man film myself, I found The Cuban beautifully filmed. The lighting was perfect, the story followed all the way through. There was not one moment that I could leave and go to make a cup of coffee. I watched it all in one go to the end and honestly thought it was one of the best films I have seen. It has emotions, sensitivity and above all element of human. Watch it to judge for yourself as I am not going to give anything away!
I watch lots of film and 99 times out of 100, I give up after few minutes!
Mambo Man (2020)
Nostalgia, Love and Music
Review of Mambo Man by Prisma ( Rome International Film Festival)
June 2020
"MAMBO MAN" BY MO FINI AND EDESIO ALEJANDRO
Posted at 09:10h in Reviews by prismaadmin
"Mambo Man" is a film that can wrap viewers in a warm dreamy and nostalgic atmosphere. This happens immediately, from the very first minutes, when the guitar strings begin to vibrate and the magnificent, humble and ancient Cuban land is the protagonist of passionate shots. This film doesn't just tell a story, in fact. It is a kind of monument. A work destined to last potentially forever, because it is the expression of an entire culture, of an entire people. In fact, the history of JC mixes and spreads in the infinite branches of the history, music and people of Cuba. It is not an excuse to tell this country, but rather a symbol, which wishes to collect the legacy of a wonderful culture. And "Mambo Man" manages to communicate total, wide suggestions that seem to bring even the scent of that land to us.
The film is played very well by its actors: real faces, framed with reverence and awareness. But there is another protagonist who in this film stands out for its majesty: music. The film, like Cuba itself, is crossed by vibrant, vivid compositions that have always expressed and collected the feelings of Cubans. Mo Fini and Edesio Alejandro, with inspiration and great inspiration, manage to extract beauty from the very material of this nation. There is no indiscreet aesthetic research, a spectacular photograph or dizzying camera movements. There is rather the mature and conscious gaze of two authors who want to represent Cuba, and the story of the protagonist, with truth and love. With this awareness, each shot conveys a charm superior to that of a good staging. This film, made with passion, penetrates the audience to the rhythm of music and tells us about a whole, small, precious universe, absorbing its beauty and misery. "Mambo Man" is a bit like Cuba: beautiful, kind and melancholic.
Reseña de Mambo Man by Prisma (Festival Internacional de Cine de Roma)
Junio 2020
"MAMBO MAN" BY MO FINI AND EDESIO ALEJANDRO
Posted at 09:10h in Reviews by prismaadmin
"Mambo Man" es una película que puede envolver a los espectadores en una cálida atmósfera soñadora y nostálgica. Esto sucede inmediatamente, desde los primeros minutos, cuando las cuerdas de la guitarra comienzan a vibrar y la magnífica, humilde y antigua tierra cubana es la protagonista de los disparos apasionados. Esta película no solo cuenta una historia, de hecho. Es una especie de monumento. Una obra destinada a durar para siempre, porque es la expresión de una cultura entera, de un pueblo entero. De hecho, la historia de JC se mezcla y se extiende en las ramas infinitas de la historia, la música y el pueblo de Cuba. No es una excusa para contarle a este país, sino más bien un símbolo, que desea recoger el legado de una cultura maravillosa. Y "Mambo Man" se las arregla para comunicar sugerencias totales y amplias que parecen traernos incluso el aroma de esa tierra.
Sus actores interpretan muy bien la película: rostros reales, enmarcados con reverencia y conciencia. Pero hay otro protagonista que en esta película destaca por su majestuosidad: la música. La película, como la propia Cuba, está atravesada por composiciones vibrantes y vívidas que siempre han expresado y recogido los sentimientos de los cubanos. Mo Fini y Edesio Alejandro, con inspiración y gran inspiración, logran extraer la belleza del material de esta nación. No hay una investigación estética indiscreta, una fotografía espectacular o movimientos de cámara vertiginosos. Hay más bien la mirada madura y consciente de dos autores que quieren representar a Cuba, y la historia del protagonista, con verdad y amor. Con esta conciencia, cada disparo transmite un encanto superior al de una buena puesta en escena. Esta película, hecha con pasión, penetra al público al ritmo de la música y nos cuenta sobre un universo entero, pequeño y precioso, absorbiendo su belleza y miseria. "Mambo Man" es un poco como Cuba: hermoso, amable y melancólico.