Havana, December 4 — Despite blackouts, economic difficulties, and the strict U.S. embargo affecting all of Cuba, today marks the opening of the Havana International Festival of New Latin American Cinema.
Under the slogan “Rolling cinema,” the lights will be turned on in the iconic Charles Chaplin theater in the central Vedado neighborhood to kick off the grand celebration of the seventh art in the country, with the presentation of the Argentine film Belén, directed by Dolores Fonzi, which arrives backed by excellent reviews from specialized critics.
Through December 14, the film event will screen 222 films, 114 of them competing for the Coral Awards, the highest honor of the festival. The rest participate in sections such as Latin America in Perspective, International Panorama, Other Latitudes, Environments, and Special Presentations.
Dedicated to the centenary of the festival’s founder and renowned Cuban intellectual Alfredo Guevara, the event has Mexico as its guest of honor. According to the organizers, the Coral Honor Award will be presented to Estudios Churubusco from Mexico on its 80th anniversary.
In addition to the competing films, the festival will showcase restored cinema, host the usual theoretical events, conferences, exhibitions, and the launch of a film-creation fellowship for women over 50 in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund.
Among the attractions of this 46th edition is the Third Latin American and Caribbean Animation Forum “Juan Padrón in Memoriam,” from December 8 to 11, a platform that encourages the participation of audiovisual faculty students as well as learning and cooperation among specialists and scholars in the field.
At the festival press conference, director Tania Delgado announced a special section dedicated to the founding countries of the BRICS community (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), featuring one film from each member country.
Beyond the strong Latin American presence, viewers in Havana will be able to see films from 42 countries from diverse regions.
In response to the festival’s call, over two thousand works were received: 1,631 films, 120 posters, and 474 scripts — figures that have remained stable over the past four years, Delgado emphasized.
