娱乐英语新闻:Hollywood firm to help restore Cuban classic films

HAVANA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Hollywood specialists will come over to help restore several Cuban classic films, as the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) and U.S. Academy Film Archive are negotiating on the issue.

Pablo Pacheco, vice president of the ICAIC, said the idea came up in December 2010 when a group of U.S. artists traveled to Havana with a cinema poster exhibition.

The first step of the project is to repair the tapes in Cuba with support of U.S. restorers, and the second step is to send the negatives to Los Angeles for restoration.

Pacheco said on the restoration list are masterpieces such as "Memories of Underdevelopment" (1968) and "Strawberry and Chocolate" (1993) by late filmmaker Tomas Gutierrez Alea.

"We have high expectations, it will be a first collaboration step ahead," Pacheco told reporters.

The Los Angeles-based Academy Film Archive has restored more than 400 classic films since its inception in 1991. Cuba and the U.S. have no formal relations, but in 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to ease the restrictions on visitors for religious, sports and cultural purposes between the two countries.