Yahoo! July 12, 2001.
Actor Del Toro Screens Film in Cuba
HAVANA, 12 (AP) - Puerto Rico-born Benicio Del Toro says that although
Hispanics have made gains in Hollywood, more work is needed to increase the
presence of people with Latin American roots.
When it comes to Hispanics in Hollywood, "there are few writers, there
are few directors,'' said Del Toro, who won a best-supporting actor Oscar
earlier this year for his role in "Traffic.''
The 34-year-old spoke Wednesday during a visit to screen the Steven
Soderbergh film about drug trafficking between the United States and Mexico.
"The reality is that Latinos must do it themselves,'' he said. "Neither
the studio nor anyone else is going to do it for them.''
Del Toro arrived in Havana on Sunday, accompanied by Soderbergh, who won an
Oscar as best director for "Traffic.''
The Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Industry invited the pair to
visit the island and show the film.
Grammy Winner Arturo Sandoval to Supervise Music for Epochal Feature
Film "CUBA'' Produced by Hillcrest Entertainment
Wednesday July 11, 7:30 pm Eastern Time. Press Release
MIAMI--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 11, 2001--Grammy Award winner Arturo
Sandoval is in discussions to create and/or supervise all Cuban music in the
upcoming epochal feature film CUBA, scheduled to commence filming in Miami and
Puerto Rico in January.
The story follows a Cuban family from 1950 through the present, concluding
with a "dramatic and unique vision of Cuba's future.'' The film will be
from an original screenplay by writer/director James Hill, and is being produced
independently by San Diego-based Hillcrest Entertainment.
Budget has been set at $30 million. Details of the contract are pending
Sandoval's review of the shooting script. The company expects Sandoval to
supervise not only the Cuban soundtrack music, but also the musical scenes
within the film. He is represented by United Talent Agency.
Sandoval was the subject of last year's HBO film, FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY, in
which Andy Garcia depicted Sandoval's career struggles and clash with the Cuban
government which led to his eventual defection from Cuba.
Lead actors for CUBA have yet to be announced pending contract negotiations.
Director of Photography will be Denis Maloney, who filmed this year's Oscar
nominated film, The Contender, starring Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen. Hillcrest
Entertainment most recently completed the controversial drama, The
Streetsweeper, starring long time Broadway star Paul Michael, (Fiddler on the
Roof, Zorba the Greek), Michael Cavalieri (The Next Karate Kid) and Lawrence
Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back Kotter).
Contact:
Hillcrest Entertainment, San Diego
Ruben
Malecon, 858/792-3686
galtfilms@aol.com
Aid Group Seeks Cuban Imports
HAVANA, 11 (AP) - An American humanitarian group left Cuba early Wednesday,
bound for Mexico and eventually the U.S. border after announcing it would try to
import Cuban-made rat poison as a challenge to the U.S. trade embargo.
The Rev. Lucius Walker and other members of the Pastors for Peace delegation
left Havana by plane in the pre-dawn hours, bound for Mexico, the Rev. Raul
Sanchez of Cuba's Martin Luther King Center said Wednesday.
The group last week arrived in Cuba with 80 tons of humanitarian aid. Valued
at several million dollars, the aid reportedly included medical equipment for
cardiology, radiology and anesthesia, mobile bicycle repair stations, medicines,
school materials, computers and food.
Walker, founder of the nonprofit Pastors for Peace, told reporters last week
that he would return home with Cuban solar panels and, most importantly, a rat
pesticide called Biorat.
"We are doing a reverse challenge for the first time in history -
taking aid from Cuba by way of our caravan to the people of the United States,''
he said.
The four-decade trade restrictions against Cuba bar most sales of American
products to the island, as well as Cuban imports to the United States.
Sanchez said the group was headed Wedneday to the Mexican port city of
Tampico, where they left their caravan of vehicles in which they brought their
aid shipment from the United States. The aid was transported by boat from
Tampico to Havana.
After retrieving their vehicles, the group later Wednesday was to drive
north across the U.S.-Mexican border, presumably carrying with them the rat
poison and other Cuban products.
Suarez said he did not know where on the border or at what time the caravan
was scheduled to cross. Walker could not be reached Wednesday.
Walker said the poison, made by biotech firm Labiofam, would be shipped to
parts of the United States where "diseases caused by the burgeoning rat
problem create a serious health problem.''
"There is a rat problem in the United States in addition to the one in
the White House!'' he said.
Cuba has commercialized Biorat in Latin America, Africa and Asia since 1994.
But it has recently come under fire from U.S. health specialists and two
European multinationals for allegedly being unsafe, charges rejected by the
Cuban company. | 
