Overlay: Financial performance and budget of 'Hello Cubans' (1963)

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
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How were these counts calculated?

Errors (2)

The specific dollar amounts ($1,000-$5,000) appear to be estimates or industry gfalse-specificity The specific licensing fee range ($10,000-$25,000) for Criterion inclusion is unfalse-specificity

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film Hello Cubans (1963), how much did the film make at both the box office and after (detail breakdown), and how did that compare to its budget?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

The 1963 short documentary "Hello Cubans" (Salut les Cubains) by Agnès Varda was produced and distributed under a model unique to French independent cinema of the 1960s. Because it is a 30-minute short film (a "photo-montage"), it did not have a traditional standalone "box office" gross or a massive production budget.

Instead, its financial story is a breakdown of artisanal production, "curtain-raiser" distribution, and long-tail revenue through Varda’s own company, Ciné-Tamaris.

1. The Budget: Artisanal & Subsidized

There is no officially recorded "dollar amount" for the budget of Hello Cubans because the film was produced as an "artisanal" project. However, we can break down its cost structure:

Production Method: Varda traveled to Cuba alone with a Leica camera and a tripod. She did not use a film crew or expensive movie cameras on location. The "filming" was essentially the cost of film stock and travel.
Financing: Varda was invited to the island by the ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry). It is widely documented that the ICAIC covered local expenses and logistics for socialist-sympathetic French filmmakers at the time.
Post-Production: The primary cost was the six months Varda spent in Paris developing 1,500 photographs from 4,000 negatives and editing them on a "banc-titre" (animation stand).
The "Prime à la Qualité": In the 1960s, the French CNC (National Center for Cinema) awarded cash bonuses called primes à la qualité to high-quality short films. Given that Hello Cubans won the Bronze Medal at Venice and the Silver Dove at Leipzig (1964), it likely qualified for these state subsidies, which often covered the entirety of a short film's production costs.

2. Box Office Performance: The "Curtain-Raiser" Model

In 1963–1964, short films were not sold as solo tickets. They were packaged as "shorts" before a feature film.

Initial Release: Hello Cubans premiered on May 2, 1964, as the opening short for the feature film "La Dérive" (directed by Paula Delsol).
Paris Entries: Records from the time show that La Dérive (and thus Hello Cubans) registered 19,518 box office entries in its first three weeks across three Parisian cinemas.
Comparison: To put this in perspective, this was a respectable "art-house" turnout. For comparison, Jean-Luc Godard's Bande à part (released the same year) registered about 39,410 entries in five weeks—double the audience of Varda’s program, but with a much higher marketing budget and a major star (Anna Karina).

3. "After" Revenue: Long-Tail Breakdown

The film made significantly more money "after" its theatrical run through Varda’s savvy management of her own rights.

Ciné-Tamaris Distribution: Varda eventually bought back the rights from the original producer (Société Nouvelle Pathé-Cinéma). Her company, Ciné-Tamaris, has managed all licensing since the 1970s.
Television & Institutional Sales: The film is a staple for educational institutions and television retrospectives (such as ARTE in Europe), which pay license fees ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per broadcast/term.
The Criterion Collection: The most significant modern revenue comes from the "The Complete Films of Agnès Varda" box set. While Criterion does not release individual sales per short, this set is a consistent "evergreen" seller. Licensing fees for a single short to be included in such a high-end collection typically range from $10,000 to $25,000 for a multi-year term, plus royalties.
Restoration (2014): In 2014, the film underwent a 2K restoration. This was funded in part by the CNC and various foundations (including the World Cinema Foundation), essentially "re-capitalizing" the film for modern digital distribution on platforms like MUBI and The Criterion Channel.

Summary Comparison

Category	Detail	Comparison/Context
Budget	Low/Artisanal (Travel + Film Stock)	Fraction of a feature; likely covered by CNC subsidies.
Box Office	~19,500 entries (Paris, 1964)	Shared with La Dérive; roughly 50% of a Godard film's audience.
Post-1964	TV Licensing, DVD, Criterion Set	Thousands of dollars in recurring "evergreen" revenue.
Profitability	High	Because the initial "sunk cost" was so low (mostly Varda's labor), the film has been profitable for decades.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] The film is a 1963 short documentary/photo-montage by Agnès Varda.

[2] Ciné-Tamaris is Varda's production and distribution company.

[3] Varda used a Leica camera and tripod, taking thousands of still photos rather than using a movie camera.

[4] Varda was invited by the ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry) in December 1962.

[5] Varda selected approximately 1,500 photos from 4,000 negatives for the film.

[6] The film won the Bronze Medal at the Venice Documentary Festival and the Silver Dove at Leipzig in 1964.

[7] While 'La Dérive' (the feature it screened with) definitely won the Prime à la qualité, explicit confirmation for 'Hello Cubans' is less documented online, though highly probable given its awards.

[8] The film premiered on May 2, 1964, accompanying Paula Delsol's 'La Dérive'.

[9] Records indicate 'La Dérive' had 19,518 entries in Paris in its first three weeks.

[10] Comparison to 'Bande à part' (39,410 entries) is accurate based on academic sources.

[11] Varda bought back rights from Pathé and Ciné-Tamaris now distributes the film.

[12] The specific dollar amounts ($1,000-$5,000) appear to be estimates or industry generalizations; no specific source confirms these figures for this film.

[13] The specific licensing fee range ($10,000-$25,000) for Criterion inclusion is unsubstantiated by public records.

[14] A 2K restoration was completed in 2014 with CNC support.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

No oversights detected.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 What other films did Agnès Varda make in the 1960s?

#02 How did the 'Prime à la qualité' system work in French cinema?

#03 What was the critical reception of 'Hello Cubans' in 1964?

#S SOURCES

4columns.org

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

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The 1963 short documentary **"Hello Cubans"** (*Salut les Cubains*) by Agnès Varda was produced and distributed under a model unique to French independent cinema of the 1960s. Because it is a 30-minute short film (a "photo-montage"), it did not have a traditional standalone "box office" gross or a massive production budget. Instead, its financial story is a breakdown of artisanal production, "curtain-raiser" distribution, and long-tail revenue through Varda’s own company, **Ciné-Tamaris**. ### 1. The Budget: Artisanal & Subsidized There is no officially recorded "dollar amount" for the budget of *Hello Cubans* because the film was produced as an "artisanal" project. However, we can break down its cost structure: * **Production Method:** Varda traveled to Cuba alone with a **Leica camera and a tripod**. She did not use a film crew or expensive movie cameras on location. The "filming" was essentially the cost of film stock and travel. * **Financing:** Varda was invited to the island by the **ICAIC** (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry). It is widely documented that the ICAIC covered local expenses and logistics for socialist-sympathetic French filmmakers at the time. * **Post-Production:** The primary cost was the six months Varda spent in Paris developing **1,500 photographs** from 4,000 negatives and editing them on a "banc-titre" (animation stand). * **The "Prime à la Qualité":** In the 1960s, the French CNC (National Center for Cinema) awarded cash bonuses called *primes à la qualité* to high-quality short films. Given that *Hello Cubans* won the **Bronze Medal at Venice** and the **Silver Dove at Leipzig** (1964), it likely qualified for these state subsidies, which often covered the entirety of a short film's production costs. ### 2. Box Office Performance: The "Curtain-Raiser" Model In 1963–1964, short films were not sold as solo tickets. They were packaged as "shorts" before a feature film. * **Initial Release:** *Hello Cubans* premiered on May 2, 1964, as the opening short for the feature film **"La Dérive"** (directed by Paula Delsol). * **Paris Entries:** Records from the time show that *La Dérive* (and thus *Hello Cubans*) registered **19,518 box office entries** in its first three weeks across three Parisian cinemas. * **Comparison:** To put this in perspective, this was a respectable "art-house" turnout. For comparison, Jean-Luc Godard's *Bande à part* (released the same year) registered about **39,410 entries** in five weeks—double the audience of Varda’s program, but with a much higher marketing budget and a major star (Anna Karina). ### 3. "After" Revenue: Long-Tail Breakdown The film made significantly more money "after" its theatrical run through Varda’s savvy management of her own rights. * **Ciné-Tamaris Distribution:** Varda eventually bought back the rights from the original producer (Société Nouvelle Pathé-Cinéma). Her company, Ciné-Tamaris, has managed all licensing since the 1970s. * **Television & Institutional Sales:** The film is a staple for educational institutions and television retrospectives (such as ARTE in Europe), which pay license fees ranging from **$1,000 to $5,000 per broadcast/term**. * **The Criterion Collection:** The most significant modern revenue comes from the **"The Complete Films of Agnès Varda"** box set. While Criterion does not release individual sales per short, this set is a consistent "evergreen" seller. Licensing fees for a single short to be included in such a high-end collection typically range from **$10,000 to $25,000** for a multi-year term, plus royalties. * **Restoration (2014):** In 2014, the film underwent a **2K restoration**. This was funded in part by the CNC and various foundations (including the World Cinema Foundation), essentially "re-capitalizing" the film for modern digital distribution on platforms like **MUBI** and **The Criterion Channel**. ### Summary Comparison | Category | Detail | Comparison/Context | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Budget** | Low/Artisanal (Travel + Film Stock) | Fraction of a feature; likely covered by CNC subsidies. | | **Box Office** | ~19,500 entries (Paris, 1964) | Shared with *La Dérive*; roughly 50% of a Godard film's audience. | | **Post-1964** | TV Licensing, DVD, Criterion Set | Thousands of dollars in recurring "evergreen" revenue. | | **Profitability** | **High** | Because the initial "sunk cost" was so low (mostly Varda's labor), the film has been profitable for decades. |

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

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The film 'Hello Cubans' (1963) was an artisanal production with no traditional budget, as Varda filmed it alone using a Leica camera and 4,000 still photos (using ~1,500 in the final edit) while her expenses were covered by the Cuban institute ICAIC. It premiered on May 2, 1964, as a short accompanying Paula Delsol's feature 'La Dérive', which sold 19,518 tickets in its first three weeks in Paris (roughly half the audience of Godard's 'Bande à part'). While specific dollar amounts for its modern licensing fees are not public, the film generates ongoing revenue through Varda's company Ciné-Tamaris, including inclusion in the Criterion Collection and TV broadcasts.

OVERLAY REPORT