Cuban filmmaker Jonal Cosculluela has reportedly died in an apparent suicide following a legal dispute.

The death of the prominent filmmaker, director, and sound engineer Jonal Cosculluela Sánchez at the age of 47 may have been the result of a personal decision by the artist to take his own life, amidst a challenging period he was facing in his life.

Although the Cuban authorities from the Ministry of Culture and other official channels have not disclosed the reasons for the young filmmaker's death, several voices on social media suggest a possible suicide of the artist.

"Everything suggests that Cosculluela made the decision to take his own life amidst a deep depression, after losing a legal battle over a personal property. The police have opened an investigation and are interviewing people close to the deceased," reported Cuban journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla in CaféFuerte.

The Assembly of Cuban Filmmakers, an association that has played a significant role in one of the most notable confrontations in recent times between industry professionals and institutions, emphasized Cosculluela's closeness and impact on his artistic community.

Within this association, Cancio recalled, the filmmaker played a significant role, standing out for his "demands for autonomy and expressive freedoms for national cinema against the official narrative."

"Last year, Cosculluela staged a public protest to demand the return of an alleged confiscation of a piece of land he owns, located in a central area of Vedado in Havana. This disagreement led to a legal dispute with state authorities. The property was not returned to him," noted the independent journalist.

For his part, the Cuban playwright and activist, Yunior García Aguilera, remembered the filmmaker, whom he knew and collaborated with on several projects. “It is shocking and painful that someone so young and talented has left us so soon,” he stated.

"I'm in shock. He had already shown us, through his recent reports and posts, that it's not worth living there. But to die there before one's time is even more absurd. I can't believe it. I'm so sorry, my friend. This is really tough," said García Aguilera.

The profile of X from Liborio in Cuba (an anonymous user well-informed about the cultural happenings on the Island) attributed the young filmmaker's death to suicide.

"Jonal is not here (he committed suicide), and the hypocrisy of the cultural officials will come with their drool. What no one will mention is that Jonal had been fighting against the bureaucracy of @PresidenciaCuba for years because a certain general became 'infatuated' with a piece of land that belonged to him."

Born in Havana in 1977, Cosculluela staged a public protest in October 2023. Through Facebook, the artist reported that a piece of land he owned, located in El Vedado (corner of 23 and 2), had been confiscated due to a legal conflict between the state entities of Heritage and Housing. Shortly thereafter, his posts were deleted.

"I don't want to believe that they took you to that point. But I could very well believe it; the motto of the foolish leaders of this country is to take away and never to add. Rest in peace, dear filmmaker. I have more than enough pain to continue believing that Cuba is sinking in misery," said filmmaker Ricardo Figueredo Oliva on his social media after hearing the news of Jonal Cosculluela's passing.