After more than half a century, the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the U.S. on Cuba continues to affect and increasingly damages diverse spheres of national culture.

The 24th London Latin American Film Festival runs from 14th to 23rd November offering, as always, a unique and eclectic mélange of feature films, documentaries and shorts, in the sumptuous comfort of the Bolivar Hall; and the University College London/Institute of the Americas.

Cuba has selected the Cuban film Conducta (Behavior), by Ernesto Daranas, to run as a candidate for the Oscars in Hollywood, and the Goya Awards in Spain.

Composed by Descemer Bueno and interpreted by Gente D Zona and Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias, the single Bailando gets to this internationally renowned contest with mentions in the categories of Recording of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song.
Santiago de Cuba musician Eliades Ochoa and his Patria Quartet will compete in Best Traditional Tropical Album with the CD El Eliades que soy, produced in Cuba by Bis Music, the record label of Artex S.A, as informed by the contest's official site.
Also represented in the annual competition for the most important awards in the Latin sound context will be troubadour Pablo Milanes with this CD Renaciendo, competing in Best Album by a Singer-Songwriter.
Another member of the island's New Song Movement will be present through the nomination of Ojos Color Sol in Song of the Year, a piece in which Silvio Rodriguez cooperated with the Puerto Rican group Calle 13.
The 15th edition of the annual Latin Grammies will take place on November 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena of Las Vegas, in the United States.

The Jewish Community Center of Cuba held a cultural gala for peace on Sunday in an action calling for a better future for all nations of the world.

Cuban rock duet Buena Fe finally performed in Miami-Dade auditorium, USA, this week despite protests and attempts to stop it going ahead by local anti-Castro groups.

Hilda Oates, an actress who since the 1960s had a long and influential career in various theatre groups and in cinema, the winner in 2004 of the National Theatre Prize, died last week at age 89.

A fascinating and touching documentary (with english subtitles!) about the Comparsa 'El Alacrán' in El Canal barrio, Havana city founded in 1908. Comparsas are AfroCuban carnival music and dance groups – but more than that – this one is very much embedded in and formed by its local barrio or neighbourhood, with involvement of all ages. It follows the dedicated work of director Santos Ramirez ("Santico") to maintain this cultural form and knowledge of its history.

Benny More – el barbaro del ritmo – Cuban master of many musical styles – listen to this recording for Radio Progreso in Havana from the 1950s

WRESTLING
Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez triumphs once again winning gold medal in the 130kg final of the World Wrestling Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. López, two-time Olympic champion, defeated Turkish Riza Kayaalp 2-0 in the Greco-Roman style fight for the gold medal, securing his fifth world championship title, having won in Budapest 2005, Baku 2007, Herning 2009, and Moscow 2010.

"A film project is very complicated; it is not like an editorial one. You cannot imagine how complex it is," commented Leonardo Padura to Cubanow. Since 1999, he has cherished the idea of taking the stories of his famous character Mario Conde to the silver screen.

The Benny More cultural centre is located in the oldest part of Cienfuegos, a province to which the well-known El Barbaro del Ritmo dedicated one of his unforgettable sones.
Among the main objectives of this institution are: to promote the life and work of the Sonero Mayor and to help organize cultural events such as an international festival.
Cubarte talks with Carlos Díaz Ramos Bsc., director of this centre since its foundation.

One hundred years into the future, a world war is taking place. People don't fight for territories, nor do they fight for ideologies. They fight to establish a healthy nourishing regime above all others. This is the synopsis for the film Omega 3, by Eduardo del Llano, premiered on August 20th.

Noted British film director Sean Mathias, said the Cuban version of the play Bent is very beautiful and loved by the two teams that represented it in Havana.

People in Havana are working to preserve Rumba as a part of the world's cultural heritage. CCTV America's Michael Voss reports.