From the Listening Post on Al Jazeera:

In Cuba, the government has long used journalism as a tool of propaganda – and for that, until recently, it has been largely unapologetic. Following the revolution, the role of the news media was envisioned as one of education and garnering mass support for the Cuban political project.

The Cuban film industry is a different story. Cuban film directors can get away with showing things that journalists cannot, sometimes providing critical reflection on the contradictions in Cuban social reality.

Subjects like education, health, gender, sexuality, worker’s rights, state bureaucracy have been recurring themes – and sometimes even the Cuban news media itself. And usually, although contemporary economic realities have recently forced filmmakers to look abroad for funding, Cuban cinema is funded by the very same state that it criticises.

Contributors:

• Eduardo del Llano, screenwriter & director of ‘Brainstorm’
• Luis Alberto Garcia, actor, ‘Brainstorm’
• Carlos Galiano, film historian
• Claudia Calvino, film producer