As one of the largest showcases of New Latin American Cinema in the world, Havana Film Festival also has a strong international presence.

In 2014 the festival presented a very diverse slate of films from various countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and the U.S. It also held two retrospectives dedicated to American documentarian Eugene Jarecki and Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl.

I found the programming very brave and adventurous, with screenings of some very risqué LGBT films (at the more peripheric theatres, mind you) that made a certain portion of the audience leave the cinema in droves! A festival that challenges its audience – hats off!

Since not all films were subtitled in English, my coverage was restricted to those that were. Below is a selection of interviews with filmmakers who presented their work at Havana Film Festival 2014.

Eugene Jarecki Interview (U.S.)

Dan Halstead Interview (U.S.)

Miguel Coyula Interview – Memories of Overdevelopment (Cuba/U.S.)

Markus Lenz Interview – Ruina (Germany)

Ruben Mendoza Interview – Dust on the Tongue (Colombia)

Ricardo Restrepo Interview – The End of the Terrible Night (Colombia)