For those of us who are Cubaphiles and have never been to the island, “7 Days in Havana” is like a rum soaked travelogue to one of the most lush, enigmatic and bizarre islands of the Caribbean. Composed of 7 vignettes by seven different world class directors, ‘7 Days…’ captures the spirit, culture and sensuality of the island and its people as well as the ennui and absurdity that permeates their existence. The real star of the movie is the city of Havana itself. As the reviewer for the Independent commented, Havana; “looks like a worn-out matinee idol” with crumbling streets, tottering old buildings, 50’s automobiles and the perennial blackouts that give the fictional stories their very real feeling.

On a warm, sunny Sunday, September 23, 2012, Fiesta DC, the organizing committee of DC’s venerable Hispanic Festival, congregated tens of thousands of Latinos and others next to the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate the oldest and largest ethnic festival in the nation’s capital.