Cinematical

Charlize Theron has taken some chances as an actress, and now she's moved into the heady world of producing documentaries. In a fascinating interview with The Guardian, Theron discusses her role producing doc East of Havana, which recently premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The film focuses on the issue of censorship in Cuba, told through the story of three young hip-hop artists struggling to create in a climate of poverty, censorship and restricted access to travel. Theron says in the piece, "the foundation of Cuba is censorship. You have to ask: would I take the free healthcare and education and accept being a prisoner in my soul?"

The interview covers the ground of Theron's growing up in South Africa, where, much like the artists in East of Havana, she faced issues of censorship that made her appreciate that much more the freedom she has in America. She says of screening the film in America, "Everybody grasps on to Cuba, but as soon as the conversation comes round to America and you see how this material reflects on the US, it's quite devastating. People are very scared to say anything that might come across as unpatriotic." It's a pretty interesting look at an actress who is clearly way more than just another pretty face. You can read the full piece here.

[ via Movie City News ]