Cuba: Filmmakers as Dangerous Intellectuals

By Javier Herrera

HAVANA TIMES – Dictatorships aren’t afraid of uprisings led by the oppressed, they accumulate enough strength and repressive methods so they can crush a few disgruntled citizens.  Nor are they afraid of an invasion, they are certain they can use the oppressed to defend the very same regime that is crushing them. They are not at all afraid of internal divisions within the nomenclature, they just need to make a couple of examples out of outstanding figures, ruin their lives and even take everything away from them. Then, everything returns to normal.

The real thing dictatorships are afraid of are ideas. They are afraid of them because their historic and sociological studies have taught them that it’s not weapons, movements or people who change history, it’s ideas.

Ideas are born, grown, evolve, multiply, inspire. Ideas grow in the heart of society and penetrate citizens’ souls on an individual level first, and then on a group level, and this is what becomes the seed of every uprising.

Ideas are normally born among intellectuals and they are the ones regimes target with all of their propaganda and repressive apparatuses. Intellectuals are normally the first ones to be persecuted and go into exile under any totalitarian state, because they don’t agree with the dictatorship that is trying to be established. Progressive minds who can see where the country is heading.

In the Cuban regime’s case, filmmakers have historically been some of the most critical on the island. The first great cultural conflict intellectuals had to face with the Revolution was the censorship of the short movie “PM”, in 1961.

The emerging face-off led to Fidel Castro’s famous meetings with a group of prominent intellectuals at the National Library, on June 16, 23 and 30, 1961. During this meeting, the dictator in the making made it clear, using solemn phrases, what the regime’s cultural policy was going to be when he said: “…  The rights of the enemies of an entire people do not count in comparison with the rights of that people… within the Revolution, everything; against the Revolution, no rights at all.” He made it perfectly clear that culture should come second to the Revolution’s plans at the risk of being considered “enemy of the people”, and it’s the dictator who defines what a people, Homeland or country is, of course. This speech led prominent writer and playwright Virgilio Piñeira to reply when called upon by Fidel himself: “I want to say I’m very afraid. I don’t know why I’m afraid, but that’s all I have to say.”

The clash between the regime and intellectuals – sometimes openly, other times more underhanded – has been ongoing up until today. Intellectuals who have dared to raise their voices, even if only ever so slightly and even subliminally, have suffered the iron hand of the repressive state apparatus, condemned to ostracism, prison and even exile.

Examples include Guillermo Cabrera Infante, who was the director of the National Cultural Council and deputy director of Revolucion newspaper (today Granma), who was held by the political police in detention for over two months, and he had no other choice but to go into exile, or Virgilio Piñeira who ended up stagnating and living a poor life after being ostracized terribly. More recently, visual artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence, after being charged with fabricated motives. The list would be never-ending, I hope these examples are enough.

Right now, the public face of this face-off are the filmmakers, who have had different meetings with cultural bodies, politicians, and repressors over the year, trying to establish an open dialogue with government organizations.

Since June, there have been events that have escalated this conflict. The filmmakers decided to band together and look for solutions together, calling a meeting on July 3rd at the movie theater on 23rd and 12th Streets, to discuss and trace a road map relating to different issues including:

– Cuban cultural policy.

– The actions that they will take in response to the Ministry of Culture’s response during the meeting on June 23rd, summoned by MINCULT, ICAIC and with representatives from other organizations, in regard to the statement this Assembly made on June 15th.

– The Film Act.

– Current Cuban film outside ICAIC.

– The disappearance of the Youth Film Festival, a crucial event for new generations of filmmakers, and for those of us who have been a part of it over the past two decades of its existence.

– Cuban movies that we aren’t allowed to watch. Justice for them and the pressing need for them to be screened in our country.

– Film heritage of independent Cuban film, its conservation and collection.

– The creation of a Cuban Filmmakers Association on and outside the island, that safeguards and defends the interests of our films, and as a result, our culture.

As well as working towards different projects that arose during the debate, including:

– The summary of events that led to the June 15th meeting and following days up until July 3rd.

– Outlining strategies regarding issues we consider key.

– The proposal and definition of the Assembly’s team or board, which will represent the Assembly in future actions.

The Assembly will also have an online service to ensure filmmakers that can’t attend in person, will have the opportunity to be present and share their opinions.

After a tense meeting sprinkled with repression from the political police, filmmakers met again at the same movie theater, on September 22nd. The meeting of the Assembly of Cuban Filmmakers that began at 9 AM, unfolded in a tense environment where Internet access was cut for everyone that participated and mobile data access was slowed down across Havana, leaving participants who had chosen to attend remotely, because they don’t live in the province or live abroad, without access, according to different participants. 

Participants also complained that only a small group of students from FAMCA (the Film Department belonging to the University of Arts of Cuba) came only to listen, who had chosen to go by themselves or out of professional interest. Once there, they were warned with a phone call that they should “be careful with what they say.” Both ISA and the General Secretary of the Communist Youth intimidated them so they wouldn’t take part in the discussion.

Repressive acts didn’t end with the meeting. The Assembly of Cuban Filmmakers decided to pay tribute to the late filmmaker and painter Nicolas Guillen Landrian, who also suffered repression in his time, when he was repressed, imprisoned and finally exiled in Miami, whose remains have been resting in Havana’s Colon cemetery since 2003.

Under pressure from the Government, represented by the administrator of the Plaza de la Revolucion municipality and Tatiana Viera, the coordinator of the Havana Government’s Objectives and Programs, filmmakers found themselves forced to cut their numbers to only 15 participants to take part in this tribute. Since September 18, when their intention to pay tribute became public, they began to receive underhanded threats disguised as warnings, by different channels, to give up their initiative, and threats even went as far as to try and intimidate the renowned artist’s widow.

They were harassed during the short trajectory to the cemetery by political police officers, who filmed them and took photos the entire way, as a threat to use these recordings to fabricate criminal charges.

At the cemetery entrance, the administrator of Plaza de la Revolucion municipality, Tatiana Viera and the director of this graveyard were waiting for them, and they tried to dissuade them from going through with their intention, while two police patrol cars watched on. After dismantling the authorities’ arguments, they were able to access the grave and pay the simple tribute of placing some flowers and paying a few minutes’ silence out of respect. Once inside the cemetery, the harassment didn’t end and they were still being filmed, even by an officer disguised as a gravedigger, but the professional camera he was using gave him away. 

Once again, the regime has shown its intolerance for ideas and freedom of thought. Once again, the regime is repressing people just because they are thinking for themselves and have their own opinions. In the meantime, there are still echoes of the Appointed President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel’s recent speech, where he calls for a different global order and he dares to criticize countries and governments, accusing them of a lack of freedoms and democracy.

The bad news for the Cuban Government is that these meetings are just scuffles in an intellectual war that has been ongoing for decades and is now gaining momentum. It’s also bad news for the regime to know that people are getting tired of bowing down and are expressing their truth openly, never bowing down again. Another piece of bad news for them is that their repressive methods and intimidation no longer have the effect they want them to. But the worst piece of news for them is that Cuban intellectuals’ ideas, especially filmmakers’ ideas, are flying around free and they will soon take root in people’s minds, who will then also lose their fear of repression.

The regime is trampling over what could be an opportunity to begin a much-needed national dialogue, at this time when the country is collapsing, and the government is repressing with outdated methods leaving the population against the wall. They should be aware, that an angry people can be lethal for recipients of this anger.

Read more from Cuba here on Havana Times.