Havana Cuba. — The Ministry of Culture (MINCULT) has prohibited the exhibition of three audiovisuals that would be projected on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30 at the headquarters of the El Ciervo Encantado theater group, located on 18th street, between Línea and 11, municipality Revolution Square. The information was disclosed by the group itself in its social networks.
The works banned on this occasion were The one in charge, a docu-fiction by Ricardo Figueredo; and the documentaries Fito’s Havanaby Juan Pin Vilar, and existby Fernando Fraguela and Yulier Rodríguez.
The Enchanted Deer has corroborated that the sample of the materials made by the students of the Faculty of Audiovisual Media Art (FAMCA) is maintained and expressed its total disagreement with the decision made.
“We firmly express our disagreement with this act of censorship without explanations towards artists whose works dignify and shape Cuban culture,” concluded Nelda Castillo, director of The Enchanted Deer.
It is not the first time that some of these filmmakers have faced rejection of their works by Cuban institutions. The documentary dreams to hoveby Fernando Fraguela and José Luis Aparicio on the life of the singer-songwriter mike porcelain and the drama that was the emigration, in April 1980, of thousands of Cubans through the port of Mariel, was excluded from the ICAIC Youth Exhibition in 2020, by express will of the presidency of that institution.
The reason for prohibiting its exhibition at the Muestra Joven was “due to political and ideological differences.” The decision resulted in other documentaries withdrawing from the event and revulsion at this type of incident grew.
The documentary by Juan Pin Vilar, Fito’s Havanawas banned despite having won first prize in the first edition of the Fund for the Promotion of Cuban Cinema organized by ICAIC, sponsored by MINCULT.