"There's a curiosity," he says. "There's something morbid because we see this fabulous paradise of the Caribbean falling in pieces but still standing there. We want to see the process of decay."
Forming the festival's picture of reality are some 100 short films, documentaries, animations, and features that were either smuggled out of the island or made by non-Cuban directors. Some of the movies provide sheer entertainment value; others, such as Terence Piard's En Vena, a cold-eyed look at the life of a Havana street junkie, take a bleak look at one of a slew of worldwide problems pervading Cuba today.
In some cases directors will be at the screenings and available to answer questions about their work. In fact on Saturday Rios will be moderating a panel discussion titled "Alternative Cuban Cinema, the Other Way, the Only Way."
The films that were picked during the year it took to come up with the program express more than just one point of view, Rios says. But considering life on the whole is pretty dreary for a regular Joe in Cuba, chances are you won't see any Castro-bolstering. Taking a step back to look at the overall message of the festival, Rios suggests it is that although the physical fabric of life, such as buildings, cars, and infrastructure, may be crumbling, human imagination remains alive and full of vigor.
