FIRST OFF . . .

Robert Redford spent Friday and Saturday in Cuba, where he visited with novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez and chatted with Fidel Castro. “I came to see Garcia Marquez and to eat,” Redford told reporters at the Havana airport Friday, where the American actor and Oscar-winning film director was greeted by Garcia Marquez, director of Cuba’s Latin American Film Institute, and Julio Garcia Espinosa, Cuban deputy culture minister. Pressed to say more, Redford admitted he would also meet Cuban film makers and possibly see some films if time allowed. Redford told Reuters Saturday that he had spoken briefly with Castro, whom he described as “very gracious” and “kind to me.” Redford added that he had co-sponsored, with the Cuban school, a script-writing workshop for women in Havana. According to the Cuban news media, Redford received an invitation to lead a workshop at the Havana film school next year. Redford is extremely popular in Cuba, where virtually all of his films have been shown on TV and in theaters. Shortly before the press conference, Redford’s newest film, “The Milagro Beanfield War,” was shown in Cuba for the first time.