In all of my movies I've tried to address the need for man - not just Cubans - to have a dream and to fight for that dream, even when he doesn't achieve it. It's a form of happiness.

The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.

Immigration and travel certainly don't mean the same thing everywhere. Here in Cuba, the big wall isn't just the fact that it's an island, but the fact that we need an exit permit in order to leave, and the letters of invitation in order to visit another country.

Cuban public is special - they participate, generate a lot of energy, both in a positive and negative sense. It's always an expressive audience.

The magic of film isn't just because of the big screen, or the acoustics, but the ineffable shared experience of going to the movies.

It's true that in Cuba there are double standards, there's opportunism, and there is a lack of freedom in some ways.

What is happiness to me is not necessarily for you. Someone once said, there are three truths: your truth, my truth and the truth. And I think that's true.