U.S. Fines Oliver Stone as Part of 'Barbaric Blockade'

Is Oliver Stone somehow unpatriotic for breaking Washington's 'embargo' against Cuba by filming documentaries about the Island's leader, Fidel Castro? In this article from Havana's tightly controlled newspaper Granma, a U.S. government fine of Stone for practicing his craft in Cuba is all part of a 'barbaric, brutal, systematic blockade.'

By Pedro De La Hoz

Translated By William Kern

December 13, 2006
Cuba - Granma - Original Article (Spanish)    

THE U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has just fined well-known filmmaker Oliver Stone [$6,322.20] for violating what they euphemistically refer to as an "embargo," but which is in fact nothing but a barbaric, brutal, systematic blockade that is universally recognized as such, and which has been condemned by an overwhelming majority of United Nations members.

[Editor's Note: In the past fiscal year, OFAC fines to individuals and companies for failing to fulfill the restrictions of the embargo totaled $265,270].

Stone and his production company Ixtlan were charged for having traveled to Cuba in 2002 and 2003 to shoot footage for two films on the leader of the Cuban Revolution. The newspaper El Nuevo Herald , the voice of the anti-Cuban mafia in south Florida, carried the news in its December 12 edition.

In medieval times, such edicts took the form of admonitions. This modern Inquisition revives that age-old practice: the message is obviously directed against those who try to exercise their rights to creativity and expression, or who try to objectively reflect the realities in the Island. This is true even in the case of Oliver Stone, who no one in their right mind could call anti-American after watching - as hundreds of Havana spectators have done during the 28th Havana Film Festival - his movie World Trade Center , about the atrocious terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers.

The difficulties Stone's had in making his films on Fidel are well-known. The first, Comandante , which he made for the HBO cable network, could not be screened as originally scheduled because of pressure from the Miami-based anti-Cuba lobby and its right-wing sponsors.

Stone had to give in to demands to return to Cuba and film again, this time to include interviews with employees of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana [America's de-facto Embassy], whose capacity for histrionics in the service of demonizing the Cuban Revolution - was shredded in the new production, Looking for Fidel .

It is very likely that OFAC officials took note of Stone's statements during the presentation of Looking for Fidel at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain: "Castro is a great host," he said. "He looks you straight in the eye. He gave me the impression that he trusted me, and I like that ... I was able to ask all of my questions about internal conflicts in the country, the future of Cuba after Castro, and the international pressure that is placed on Cuba, especially by the president of the United States, George W. Bush. ... Castro is one of the wisest men there are; he is a survivor and a Quixote. I admire his Revolution, his faith in himself and his honesty."

For the current authorities in North America, free expression and unprejudiced opinion like this comes only at a price. Hence, excuses and contrivances must be concocted - despite the fact that Stone's producers complied with a confusing and cumbersome licensing process – all to punish and impede people from thinking for themselves.

It doesn't matter that the U.S. Administration has made more obvious something that everyone already knows: those who are imposing a criminal blockade against Cuba are victimizing their own people, by prevented them from traveling freely to the island.

Spanish Version Below

Multado Oliver Stone por filmar en Cuba

PEDRO DE LA HOZ

pedro.hg@granma.cip.cu

La Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros de Estados Unidos (OFAC) acaba de imponer una multa al célebre cineasta Oliver Stone por haber violado las leyes de lo que allá llaman eufemísticamente embargo y no es más que un incivilizado, brutal y sistemático bloqueo, universalmente reconocido y condenado por abrumadora mayoría en el seno de las Naciones Unidas.

A Stone y a la productora Ixtlan se les acusa de haber viajado a Cuba para filmar entre el 2002 y el 2003 dos películas sobre el líder de la Revolución cubana. El Nuevo Herald, vocero de la mafia anticubana del Sur de la Florida, desplegó en su edición de ayer la noticia.

En las plazas medievales solían publicarse tales bandos a modo de escarmiento. La moderna Inquisición retoma esa añeja práctica: el mensaje, obviamente, va dirigido contra todo aquel que haciendo valer su derecho a la libertad de creación y la de expresión, quiera reflejar objetivamente la realidad de la Isla, así sea un individuo como Oliver Stone, a quien nadie en su sano juicio podrá tildar de antinorteamericano después de haber visto, como cientos de espectadores habaneros durante el 28 Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, su película World Trade Center, sobre el atroz atentado terrorista contra las Torres Gemelas.

Son harto conocidos los avatares de Stone para realizar sus películas sobre Fidel. La primera, titulada Comandante y encargada por la cadena por cable HBO, no pudo exhibirse en el plazo de tiempo pactado debido a las presiones del lobby anticubano de Miami y sus patrocinadores de la derecha estadounidense.

Stone tuvo que acceder a las exigencias de volver a filmar para incluir entrevistas con algunos empleados de la Oficina de Intereses de EE.UU. en La Habana, cuya capacidad histriónica, puesta en función de demonizar a la Revolución cubana, se desmoronó en la nueva producción, Looking for Fidel.

Es muy probable que los funcionarios de la OFAC hayan tomado nota de las declaraciones de Stone durante la presentación de Looking for Fidel en el Festival de Cine de San Sebastián, España: "Castro —dijo allí— es un gran anfitrión. Te mira directamente a los ojos. Me dio la impresión de que se fiaba de mí, y eso me gustó, [...] Pude hacer todas las preguntas sobre conflictos internos del país, el futuro de la Isla después de Castro y la presión internacional a la que se ve sometida Cuba, especialmente por el gobierno del presidente de Estados Unidos, George W. Bush. [...] Castro es uno de los hombres más sabios, es un superviviente y un Quijote. Admiro su revolución, su fe en sí mismo y su honestidad".

Para las actuales autoridades norteamericanas, una opinión libre y desprejuiciada como esa, tiene su precio. De modo que hay que buscar resquicios y artilugios, pese a que los productores de Stone cumplieron con el farragoso expediente de las licencias, para castigar e impedir que se piense con cabeza propia.

No importa que se haga obvio lo que ya se sabe: la victimización del propio pueblo norteamericano, impedido de viajar libremente a la Isla, por parte de quienes ejercen el criminal bloqueo contra Cuba.