Open Borders to Art: End Travel Restrictions to Cuba

Last year, the San Francisco Film Society was invited to send a delegation to Havana, Cuba to participate in the 25th Festival of New Latin American Cinema in December 2003. This festival is one of the most important gatherings of film industry representatives in the world, bringing together hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, producers, distributors and an audience of over half a million filmgoers.

Our delegation included filmmakers who had won awards at the 2003 San Francisco International Film Festival with their films. The delegation and the films were received with warmth and enthusiasm, just as Cuban and other Latin American films have been received at our film festival. The Film Society participated in a panel discussion about Latinos in the U.S. film and television industry. This cultural exchange gave us an unprecedented opportunity to meet some of the most prominent writers and artists of Latin America and the world, as well as ordinary Cubans. Our subsequent Festival screening of the Cuban film, Suite Habana, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, was possible only because of the personal contacts made there.

However, the ability of such exchanges to continue will be made nearly impossible by regulations that went into effect July 1, 2004. Even the previous authorization for fully-hosted travel to Cuba will be eliminated. The anti-family provisions of the new regulations, which severely restrict contact between Cuban Americans and their relatives in Cuba, have been condemned by the National Council of Churches and have been termed "outrageous" in a June 29 New York Times editorial.

We believe in film, not only as an uplifting art, but also as a promotor of cultural exchange and understanding among the diverse elements of the world community. Closing the door on travel to Cuba deprives us of the opportunity to be exposed to other peoples and other cultures. In regard to art and ideas, our borders-and minds-should always be open.

Roxanne Messina Captor, Executive Director

Melanie Blum, President

San Francisco Film Society