In Hershman Leeson’s new film ‘Tania Libre’, she portrays her Cuban colleague, Tania Bruguera, who works with artistic means for civil rights on the Caribbean island. ‘When I learned that Tania was in custody in Cuba, I wanted to spontaneously try to help with my means,’ says the director in Berlin. This included calls and the mediation of human rights prosecutors… For, as the talks show, Tania Bruguera not only has to cope with constant repression by the Cuban authorities, but also that her own father has worked for the Cuban intelligence service.
Did not Hershman and Bruguera have any fears that the recordings of the therapies could be too intimate? Both negate and Bruguera adds that it is important for her to be seen as a vulnerable person and not as a tireless fighter for freedom of expression. In contrast to the ruling socialists, she would like to play with open cards and not to spread lies, which also includes integrating one’s own personality into the discourse. ‘I am curious, however, whether and how the Cuban government is trying to use the film against me,’ says Bruguera.