16 AFAR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019KIRST
IN^SCHMITTafar.com
GERMAN PHOTOGRAPHER AND filmmaker Kirstin Schmitt finds artistic inspiration in people’s everyday lives. “I want to figure out who
people are,” says Schmitt, who splits her time between Havana and Berlin. “By getting to know them, I understand their passions.”
Through a friend, she began spending time among people in Havana’s LGBTQ and drag communities, Cubans who have only recently been
able to live their lives more openly, though they still face discrimination and a culture of machismo. Their lives are documented by
Schmitt and her husband, Cuban photographer Juan Aristides Otamendiz, in the project “Arroz Con Mango—The New Men.” Schmitt’s
images capture the moments beyond the stage and at home, as in the shot above, which features the performer Haila preparing for a
midnight gig at Cabaret Las Vegas in Havana. The photo stood out to the judges for its intimacy. “The personal connection within that private
space really came through in the image,” says former AFAR design director Jason Seldon. “It shared a story that hasn’t been told until
recently about Cuba.” To enter this year’s photo awards, go to afar.com/photoawards. —SARA BUTTONIn the Jesús María
neighborhood of Havana, photogra-
pher Kirstin Schmitt captured
drag performer Haila getting ready
for a show. The image won
third place in the inaugural AFAR
Travel Photography Awards,
presented in partnership with
LensCulture and United Airlines.“Night Falls Above Jesús María”
Third-place winner, single photographAFAR Travel Photography Awards