Previously unseen archive footage revealed in BBC Cuba season

A season of programmes will feature extraordinary previously unseen footage, in a two-part series from Imagine to be broadcast on consecutive nights on BBC Two and BBC Four, shining a light on Havana’s turbulent history and looking ahead to an unpredictable future.

Acclaimed director Julien Temple joins Alan Yentob and Imagine for Habaneros: You Say You Want A Revolution?. These two films, shot over the past three years, capture the mood and experiences of Havana and its people coupled with previously unseen archive footage. Through recorded testimonies from the city’s inhabitants (known as Habaneros), viewers are given a unique, new insight into its tumultuous past - a rollercoaster ride from Spanish Colony, to Republic, to Revolution. With Raúl Castro’s presidency drawing to its end this edition of Imagine comes at a pivotal time, examining how the legacy of the Castro brothers’ will be remembered and looking forward to question what the future has in store for the Republic of Cuba.

This season launches with a night of Cuban music on BBC Four, beginning with the Oscar-nominated documentary Buena Vista Social Club. The award-winning Buena Vista Social Club album produced by Ry Cooder remains the biggest-selling world music album ever, showcasing the talents of a dream team of veterans from Cuban music's golden age. In this extraordinary film Wim Wenders intimately documents Ry Cooder's return to Havana as he reminisces with musical legends over the halcyon days of Cuba's music scene, when the rich and famous travelled from all over the world to listen to them.

Cuba's political and economic isolation has historically provided the outside world little opportunity to see its wildlife, but audiences will have the opportunity to explore the rich variety of wildlife hidden on the island in Natural World: Cuba - Wild Island Of The Caribbean. The island is home to some of the most unusual creatures on earth, including the feisty Cuban crocodile, migrating land crabs, and the world's smallest bird and frog, making for a fascinating ecosystem.

Other programmes to be shown on BBC Four include the four-part series Latin Music USA, which explores the musical and social impact of Latin music in the USA and Arena: My Name is Celia Cruz which features Latin American superstar Celia Cruz discussing how she fled Cuba during the revolution.

To conclude this season, audiences will have the rare opportunity to enjoy an Arena film originally broadcast on the BBC in 1997 which features contributions from well-known figures including actors John Belushi and George Wendt, and politician Kenneth Clarke. Arena: Cigars - Out of the Humidor tracks the journey of the cigar - from its humble roots in the tobacco fields west of Havana to the glamorous cigar bars of Hollywood, clubs of London and as a particular favourite of former US President John F. Kennedy.

CKS