In a press conference at the Cohiba Hotel, in the Cuban capital, Del Toro said the short-feature movie tells the story of an American actor who travels for the first time to Havana for a seminar.

Del Toro, who won an Oscar in 2001 for his role in Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic," said so much material was filmed that he could make three films about Cuba, but it will be edited down to 15 minutes.

Young actor Josh Hutcherson, 18, who plays the role of Yuma, said it was easy for him to work with Del Toro because of the way he directs.

The cast also includes Cuban actors Vladimir Cruz and Jorge Perugorria, best known internationally for their roles in the 1993 film "Strawberry and Chocolate."
 

Seven Days in Havana is a French-Spanish production conceived as a portrait of contemporary Havana from the viewpoint of seven filmmakers:

Pablo Trapero, Juan Carlos Tabío, Laurent Cantet, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noe, Julio Medem and Del Toro, each telling a diferent story with some characters and situatios in common.
 

One of the highlights of the film is the participation of filmmaker Emir Kosturica, who plays the role of himself in the story directed by Pablo Trapero to start shooting Friday.

Cuban writer Leonardo Padura is one of the three scriptwriters of the film and at times works as general coordinator of the stories.

In statements to ACN, Padura said the film avoids topics that are usually depicted on films about Cuba and goes from the funniest comedy to the most moving drama.
 

Produced by Morena Films and Full House and with music by Cubans Kelvis Ochoa and Decemer Bueno, the shooting stage of the film is expected to finish by May 4, according to producer Alvaro Longoria.