Video

Without money or permits, young Cuban filmmakers are finding opportunities in official cultural institutions to show documentaries filmed with a critical eye. The new directors, who cover themes from political censorship to emigration and the polarization of society or lack of diversity, said that they frequently clash with state bureaucracy. But after President Raul Castro urged Cubans in 2007 to debate their problems openly, cultural authorities have rapidly opened spaces for young artists. "Last year we made three independent films. This year I think that we have six films, more every time. The video clips, the whole production is done independently, in other words it's there (independent cinema) and cannot be ignored. If institutions want to portray reality, that's something we have to assume. Maybe some people don't understand this, because it's something new. It's something that will change the way things are done, ways of thinking," said Magda Gonzalez, in charge of production for Cuban television series working for the ICRT (Cuban Institute of Radio and Television). Gonzalez took part in a debate in April regarding independent film making in a congress for the Cuban union of writers and Cuban artists. According to industry sources, usually excessive salaries and expenses in transport and food make projects too expensive to fund. One of the few oasis for independent production in Cuba is the young filmmakers festival, which last year received some 150 films from ...