Steven Spielberg's getting ready for a close encounter of the Cuban kind.
The all-world director will be playing ambassador as he heads to Cuba next week for a nationwide film festival in his honor.
According to Spielberg's camp, eight of the filmmaker's films will be screened by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Industry in four Havana movie theaters, as well as other cinema houses around the island nation.
Spielberg chose the films himself, and they include his Best Picture Oscar-winning Holocaust drama Schindler's List, along with E.T., Jaws, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark and his groundbreaking, star-making TV movie Duel.
The festivities will kick off with the Cuban premiere of his most recent flick, Minority Report, attended by the man himself, who is due to arrive on the Caribbean island Wednesday with his wife Kate Capshaw.
"Anytime where they're showing eight of your classic films, it's going to be exciting," Spielberg's publicist Marvin Levy tells E! Online. "Each of these films have a lot to say. It'll be very interesting to get the reaction from the Cuban public."
Spielberg's itinerary includes a reception with Cuban filmmakers, a stop at the International School of Film and Television (founded by acclaimed Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez), where he will speak to students about the art of moviemaking, and a visit to Havana's main synagogue, where he will meet with members of Cuba's Jewish community.
Additionally, Spielberg will also have a sit-down with U.S. diplomats and their families stationed in the country.
No word how long he'll be on the island or whether he will meet with Cuban President Fidel Castro. According to Levy, this is Spielberg's first time in Cuba, and his trip was formally approved by the U.S. government under a license authorizing noncommercial film-related cultural exchange and exhibitions.
"Spielberg has always said that film is a universal creative medium that can reach out to people across national boundaries and cultures," says Levy. "He is eager to meet with the filmmaking community and the Cuban public."Spielberg's not the only Hollywood star to travel to Cuba despite the poor relations between the United States and Castro's government.
Other notables have included Kevin Costner, who met with the bearded Cuban leader for a screening of his Cuban Missile Crisis drama Thirteen Days, as well as Robert Redford, Jane Fonda and Jack Nicholson.
After his Cuba tour, Spielberg will ramp up for the premiere of Catch Me if You Can. The action-comedy, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, is slated to hit theaters on Christmas day.