Title: Film Directors Challenge Censorship and Recording Ban at Filmmaker Assembly in Havana
Film director Miguel Coyula has released video and audio fragments recorded during a meeting held on June 23 at the Chaplin Cinema in Havana. The meeting brought together more than a hundred filmmakers and authorities from the Ministry of Culture and the Communist Party.
During the assembly organized by the Assembly of Cuban Filmmakers, the creators expressed their opposition to the prohibition of recording the discussion imposed by officials. The controversy surrounding the censorship and unauthorized transmission on Cuban Television of a documentary directed by Juan Pin Vilar was also addressed during the exchange.
Pin Vilar, present at the dialogue, emphasized the importance of recording the meeting, stating that it would contribute to the archives of Cuban culture. He also warned the leaders that legal action might be taken against those responsible for broadcasting the unauthorized documentary, mentioning the Cuban producer Ricardo Figueredo and another Argentine producer.
The president of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), Ramón Samada, directly challenged Coyula’s decision to record the meeting. Coyula responded by asserting that he is not a member of any official institution and that recording such events is a part of his job.
Other filmmakers in attendance contested the ban on recording, pointing out that the authorities themselves were recording the discussion. Actor Luis Alberto García quoted Fidel Castro’s famous phrase from 1961, “With the Revolution everything, against the Revolution nothing,” questioning the officials’ authority to determine what falls within or against the Revolution.
García also addressed the censorship of films such as “Santa and Andrew” and “Vicenta B.” by director Carlos Lechuga, who is currently in exile in Spain. He criticized the exclusion of filmmakers from the official film scene as a means of punishing the author, calling for an end to censorship and urging a different treatment for dissidents.
Coyula also captured footage of the leaders present at the meeting, including Minister of Culture Alpidio Alonso, Vice Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas, Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman, and Communist Party ideological department head Rogelio Polanco. Despite intermittent intervention from the officials to reiterate the ban on recording, Samada emphasized that no one was prohibited from bringing a cellphone or anything else, urging participants to not challenge one another.
Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez Yong, one of the filmmakers in attendance, expressed optimism about the event and stated that it raised the possibility of working together to address various issues affecting Cuban filmmakers. Discussions covered logistical challenges related to state administration, as well as ideological and political concerns. Rodríguez emphasized the importance of filmmakers organizing themselves to effect change.
After the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Chapman and the Ministry of Culture issued statements affirming the government’s willingness to engage in dialogue. However, the material shared by Coyula highlights the limited willingness of the regime to address the concerns of “problematic” artists.
Despite the government’s claims of openness, the recorded fragments shed light on the ongoing struggle between artists and censors in Cuba, revealing the pressing need for further dialogue and resolution.
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