In Cuba and specifically in Havana there's a sort of energy that turns every situation into something unexpected.

I don't think that the reality of Cuba is perfect, but it doesn't cleave to the negativity, either, with which some people see it.

The Cuban public is hugely cinephile. It's a shame that most of the movie theaters are so deteriorated. The sense of spectacle has been lost a little, but even so, people continue to go.

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

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.

Cubans joke and satirize everything that life gives them, and I think that's a positive characteristic.

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.