Film
At Sundance, Examining the Relationships Between People and Their Governments
Documentaries at the festival looked at ordinary people in Cuba, journalists in the Philippines, and lawyers for the ACLU.
Cuba
Opinion
Cuba’s Campaign Against Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
The treatment of Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is emblematic of a struggle in Cuba over who defines and controls art and culture.
Books
A Graphic Novel Looks at the Limits of Freedom in Revolutionary Cuba
By approaching Castro’s Cuba from the margins, author Anna Veltfort creates a unique lens through which to observe the mechanisms by which a political system acts upon those who live within it.
Interview
An Insider's View of the Cuban Art World and 2019 Havana Biennial
In an in-depth interview translated from Spanish, artist and scholar Coco Fusco discusses the 2019 Havana Biennial and state of the Cuban art world with poet and cultural commentator Katherine Bisquet.
Film
A Cuban Filmmaker's Brutal Satire of Religion and Colonialism
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s The Last Supper plays as part of Film Forum's ongoing series The Hour of Liberation: Decolonizing Cinema, 1966-1981, which presents both classic and overlooked anti-imperialist films.
Art
Two Mexican Artists Deported from Cuba and Accused of Attempting to Subvert the Havana Biennial
Their exhibition was shut down by Cuban authorities on the day of its opening at the Museum of Dissidence, and the artists were interrogated for six hours before being deported.
Opinion
Why I Will Not Go to This Year's Havana Biennial
I am not going to the 13th Havana Biennial because my struggle to achieve freedom of expression in Cuba, my defense of cultural rights, and my efforts to end political hatred among Cubans and defend the right to demonstrate in the streets are not limited to an event. It is my life mission.
News
Artist Coco Fusco Denied Entry Into Cuba Ahead of Havana Biennial
"I am sure that this is due to my writings on Cuban art and cultural politics, and my steadfast support for the artists-led movement in Cuba against Decree 349," the artist wrote in a statement today.
News
Cuban Artists Urge Havana Biennial Participants to Act in Political Solidarity
They ask the biennial participants to feature artists affected by Decree 349, or wear T-shirts opposing the decree during their time in Cuba.
Announcement
Havana Street Photography Tour with Master Photographer Federico Savini
Tour participants are invited to exhibit a selection of their photographs in a group show at the Pratt SCPS Gallery. Application deadline is January 10.
In Brief
After Release from Cuban Jail, Tania Bruguera Files Defamation Case Against Government
After months of protesting against Decree 349, a proposed government sanction that would censor the arts, Bruguera will take legal action "against parties who have damaged myself and my family, psychologically, socially and professionally." Lawyers say it is the first legal case of its kind.
In Brief
Tania Bruguera and Other Cuban Artists Released from Jail, Government Curtails Law Censoring the Arts
Numerous Cuban artist-activists were detained for protesting Decree 349, but have been released as the law is reassessed. Cuban Vice Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas tells the Associated Press that more precise regulations will be published in upcoming days, but that “artistic creation is not the