September 1, 2008
India Film Fest in Havana
Starting Monday at the Charles Chaplin Theater in the capital
PEDRO DE LA HOZ
The Third Contemporary India Film Festival takes place in Havana from September 1 to 7, sponsored by the Cuban Film Institute, Cinemateca of Cuba and the Indian Embassy.
PHOTO
FROM THE FILM FORWARD INDIA
Chak De India (2007), one of the films to be shown for the first time in Cuba, opens the festival on Monday and will be shown again on Tuesday (2:00 pm.) and Saturday (8:00 pm.) The film, directed by Shimit Amin and starring Shahrukh Khan, one of India’s top actors, is about field hockey, a sport passionately followed in that country.
However, for many movie buffs the most awaited film is Pushpak (1988), a classic film by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (Tuesday 5:00 pm. and Thursday 8:00 pm.). The comedy narrates the ups and downs of a rich drunk and a poor university student in a two hour and five minute picture without dialogue.
Other films to be shown in the festival are Krrish (2006) by Raken Roshan (Tuesday 8:00 p.m., Friday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and Bunti aur Babli (2005) by Shaad Ali Sargal (Wed. 2:00 pm., Friday 8:00 p.m., two diverse examples of films from Bollywood (the huge Indian film industry). In one, pleasant adventures with a touch of fantasy and in the other, a romantic story seasoned by songs and dances.
TRANSLATION: Granma
La Habana, lunes 1 de septiembre de 2008. Año 12 /
Número 244
Adelante, India
Desde este lunes en la sala Chaplin el Tercer Festival de Cine Contemporáneo del gigantesco país asiático
Pedro de la Hoz
Tres estrenos e igual número de reposiciones cubrirán desde este lunes 1ro. de septiembre hasta el domingo 7 la programación del Tercer Festival de Cine Contemporáneo de la India, bajo los auspicios del ICAIC, la Cinemateca de Cuba y la Embajada del país asiático en La Habana.
Fotograma
de Adelante, India.
Uno de los filmes que llegan por primera vez al espectador cubano, Adelante, India, abrirá la jornada y podrá ser visto también por todo público el martes 2 a las 2:00 p.m. y el sábado 6 a las 8:00 p.m. Dirigido por Shimit Amin y protagonizado por una de las estrellas más cotizadas de la pantalla india, Shahrukh Khan, es una entretenida película sobre un deporte que allá despierta pasiones, el hockey sobre césped.
Para los cinéfilos, sin embargo, el reto pasa por Pushpak, enigmático filme de Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (martes, 5:00 p.m.; jueves, 8:00 p.m.) que en tono de comedia narra los avatares de un rico beodo y un joven universitario en la pobreza, sin que medie diálogo alguno a lo largo de dos horas y cinco minutos.
Otras singulares propuestas son Krrish, de Raken
Roshan (martes, 8:00 p.m.; viernes, 2:00 p.m.; y domingo, 2:00 p.m.), y Bunti y
Babli, de Shaad Alí Sargal (miércoles, 2:00 p.m.; viernes, 8:00 p.m.), dos caras
de esa moneda que se llama Bollywod: (la gran industria fílmica india) en uno,
amables aventuras con un toque de fantasía; y en otro, una historia romántica
sazonada por bailes y canciones.
http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2008/09/01/cultura/artic01.html
September 4, 2008
Dear friends and colleagues:
As you are all aware by now the destruction caused by Hurricane Gustav to Pinar del Rio and Isle of Youth in Cuba has been devastating. The world is just beginning to get a glimpse of such tragedy.
We believe the moment calls for action NOW. It is the reason for this letter. Different organizations and politicians have called for a moratorium of current travel and remittance restrictions to the island. We wholeheartedly support such an initiative. But knowing the mindset of the current administration, and being realistic about election year politics, we do not envision any sort of positive change in the current restrictions that could help the Cuban people.
So we urge you to choose the most sensible, most direct and most effective way to help and that is to contribute monetarily using tax exempt donations to any of these humanitarian agencies:
JEWISH SOLIDARITY, a 501.C.3 not for profit organization with a license to secure donations for Cuba relief. You can send your donation check to:
JEWISH SOLIDARITY, attention: Maricusa, 100 Beacon Boulevard, Miami, FL 33135. Check should be marked “humanitarian relief”. CATHOLIC CHARITIES/Caritas Cubanas, a not for profit agency of the Catholic Church who also holds a license to provide aid to Cuba. Checks should be made out to Catholic Relief Services and sent to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. Checks should be marked: “For Cuba Gustav Relief”.
For those of you in the Miami area who would prefer to take food items in
lieu of a check donation, you can do so by taking these to The Daughters of
Charity at 500 NW 63 Avenue in Miami. They also have a license to send aid to
Cuba and are sending two containers in the next few days. Items they have
expressed a desire in getting are: powdered milk, evaporated milk, canned little
hot dogs, lentils in packages, black and red beans in packages. WE BELIEVE THESE
ARE THE FASTEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO HELP NOW. RECIPIENTS WILL BE THE
PEOPLE OF CUBA AND IN NO WAY WILL THE DONATIONS BE RESTRICTED DUE TO RELIGIOUS
OR POLITICAL AFFILIATION. THE LARGER NEED TO FUNDAMENTALLY OVERHAUL U.S. POLICY
REMAINS. BUT THE MOMENT CALLS FOR URGENT HELP.
Muchas gracias.
Alvaro Fernandez Executive Director
Silvia Wilhelm President
Cuban American commission for Family Rights Miami 786 374-7220 phone 305 858-9353 fax _www.cubanfamilyrights.org_ (http://www.cubanfamilyrights.org/)