Dance me to the End of Love
Cuba, as a country, is – and for a long time has been – a contested territory, from The Cuban Wars of Independence, fought against the Spanish colonisers, to the … Continue reading Dance me to the End of Love
Author: Brian Beadie
10 Years of Havana Glasgow Film Festival
Film montage by Dani Acosta showing the highlights of our Anniversary Festival Havana Glasgow Film Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, with a celebration of solidarity and kindness, two … Continue reading 10 Years of Havana Glasgow Film Festival
¡Quba! – The fight for LGBTQ Rights in Cuba
The history of LGBTQ rights in Cuba is complex and contested – as it is elsewhere. Fidel Castro and the Revolution were initially unsympathetic, not recognising how such people’s identities … Continue reading ¡Quba! – The fight for LGBTQ Rights in Cuba
From Havana To Hanoi – Santiago Álvarez
In the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, one of the greatest challenges was how to educate the population in the ideals and potential embodied by the revolutionary process. … Continue reading From Havana To Hanoi – Santiago Álvarez
Moveable Feasts
One of the consequences of streaming has been the emergence of a new form of cinephilia, as previously unseeable or unobtainable films find afterlives on the internet for extremely dedicated … Continue reading Moveable Feasts
The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea was the both the most internationally celebrated Cuban director, and the most popular domestically (he was affectionally known on the island as Titon). This is down partly … Continue reading The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Memories of Titón
Throwback article by Brian Beadie from 2019, updated Oct 2025, which mentions the films we will be screening during our 2025 Festival: Hasta Cierto Punto, The Survivors and The Last … Continue reading Memories of Titón
Memories Are Made of This
In all the years of Havana Glasgow Film Festival’s existence, we have concentrated on Cuban cinema, and only once shown a non-Cuban feature film
Sisters Do It For Themselves
Havana Glasgow Film Festival are very pleased to present a programme of new feminist short films made as part of an initiative spearheaded by David Archibald from the University of Glasgow and Núria Araüna Baró of Universitat Rovira in Virgil
Havana Glasgow United
As the cost of living crisis has deepened over the last couple of years, and people have seen their living standards consequently eroded, trade union resistance to the situation has strengthened, and people like Mick Lynch, in his role as Secretary general of the RMT, have become folk heroes.
The World of Fernando Pérez
The Golden Age of auteur cinema may be over internationally; it certainly is within Cuba
Sibling Harmony
One of the most popular recent documentaries on the subject of Cuba has been Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider’s “Los Hermanos” (The Brothers), which tracks the progress of two brothers, … Continue reading Sibling Harmony
I’m a Feminist – What’s Your Superpower
We’ve got a talented team working for us at Havana Glasgow Film Festival
Democracy Uncensored
CineAstra – Havana Glasgow Film Festival are honoured to have been invited to participate in CineAstra
Diasporic Creation
Nicolás Guillén Landrián was one of the greatest, but most underrated filmmakers ever to emerge from Cuba, until fairly recently. The reason for his neglect was fairly simple – he … Continue reading Diasporic Creation
Sara Gómez- Her Contribution
One of my favourite moments in cinema occurs at the end of Agnes Varda’s classic short film Salut les Cubains, a film composed entirely of still photos Varda took on … Continue reading Sara Gómez- Her Contribution
Double Consciousness – The Paradox of Race in Cuba
In egalitarian societies, some are of course, more equal than others, and Cuba is no exception. On the island, inequality is, as elsewhere, often structured around the axis of race. … Continue reading Double Consciousness – The Paradox of Race in Cuba
Gloria Rolando – Eternal Presences
Gloria Rolando is one of the most significant Cuban filmmakers currently working, a documentarian who has done groundbreaking work charting the complex history of Black people, often Black women, who … Continue reading Gloria Rolando – Eternal Presences
Queens of the Revolution
One of the most remarkable films we’ve ever shown at Havana Glasgow Film Festival, and one that got the best audience reception, was Rebecca Heidenberg’s Queens of the Revolution, a … Continue reading Queens of the Revolution
The Sound of Cuba
Arturo Sotto is one of the most versatile directors in contemporary Cuban cinema, whose career and diverse body of work was celebrated at last year’s’ Havana Glasgow Film Festival. This … Continue reading The Sound of Cuba
Havana Glasgow Film Festival 2020
2020’s been a challenging year for all of us, not least for film festivals, which have had to find new ways in which to showcase work and engage audiences. A … Continue reading Havana Glasgow Film Festival 2020
Havana Glasgow Pandemic Festival
It’s been quite a year – and that’s an understatement. The entire world seems to have virtually ground to a halt, and time stood still, in the face of the … Continue reading Havana Glasgow Pandemic Festival
Coffee and Contradictions
The 1960s were the Golden Age of Cuban filmmaking, where filmmakers were swept up in the fervour of creating a new society, and the Cuban film institute ICAIC eager to … Continue reading Coffee and Contradictions
Over the Wall
Fernando Pérez is Cuba’s most celebrated living filmmaker, one whose body of work over the last 30 years provides a vivid portrait of Cuban society. Cutting his teeth making documentaries for … Continue reading Over the Wall
Another World is Possible
Science fiction is one of the most fertile and consistently popular literary genres, with its roots often in a Utopian impulse, a wish for transformation and improvement. This is a … Continue reading Another World is Possible
Sisters Doing It For Themselves
La Pelicula de Ana (Ana’s Film) was a highlight of our first ever Havana Glasgow Film Festival. This satirical look at the conditions of Cuban film production may be set … Continue reading Sisters Doing It For Themselves
Ian Padrón
Earlier this year, Cuba was in a state of national mourning for the death of its best-loved animated filmmaker, Juan Padrón. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this … Continue reading Ian Padrón
Cuban-Celtic Connections
Félix Flores Varona is a writer and researcher on English and international literature, who currently lives in Scotland. At this year’s HGFF, he will be presenting an exploration of the links … Continue reading Cuban-Celtic Connections
Innocence
The Cuban Wars of Independence were a long, protracted struggle with much blood shed. But one of the most appalling incidents occurred during the first, Ten Years War, in 1871, … Continue reading Innocence
Extraordinary Cuba – An interview with Michael Chanan
The theme of this year’s Havana Glasgow Film Festival, is ‘Extraordinary Cuba’, and we will be examining the ways in which this fiercely independent island nation is truly extraordinary, in … Continue reading Extraordinary Cuba – An interview with Michael Chanan
Havana Glasgow Film Festival 2019 Review
Hace calor en La Habana – Roberto Chile Havana Glasgow Film Festival’s come a long way in five years – so far, that this year the festival went as far … Continue reading Havana Glasgow Film Festival 2019 Review
Nae Paseran in Havana
This year, Havana Glasgow Film Festival are hosting an edition of the festival in Havana, for the very first time. Here we will be showcasing the best in Scottish film, … Continue reading Nae Paseran in Havana
From Strawberry and Chocolate to Fraternity Park
A couple of years ago, I was explaining to the editor of an esteemed music mag (I won’t say which one) that a gig review I’d written would take a … Continue reading From Strawberry and Chocolate to Fraternity Park
The Point is to Change It
Image -Tomás Gutiérrez Alea “The world is already filmed, it’s now a matter of changing it.” Guy Debord – Society of the Spectacle In the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, … Continue reading The Point is to Change It
12 Great Scottish Films
This year, Havana Glasgow Film Festival is actually going to Havana, bringing Scottish films and DJs to the city in the spirit of cultural exchange. Here, Glasgow-based journalist Brian Beadie … Continue reading 12 Great Scottish Films
12 Great Cuban Films
This year we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Cuban film institute ICIAC, which arose in the aftermath of the revolution to improve Cuban society, and help educate … Continue reading 12 Great Cuban Films