The 43rd edition of the Havana International Film Festival, one of the most anticipated film festivals in the region, opens on December 1. It will run until December 11, in various cinemas across the city.
The Havana Film Festival will show cinematic works produced during the last three years because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s film festival is dedicated to the Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés.
The Havana International Film Festival promotes cinematic works that contribute to and highlight Latin American and Caribbean identity. Based on its efforts to foster creative films emerging from the region, this Latin American festival focuses on contemporary world cinema on themes such as racial discrimination, the struggle of the people, and social protests in the continent.
This year’s event includes a new award: the Diversity Award for the best Latin American queer-themed films, evaluated by an independent jury appointed by the Festival. Other awards of the Festival include the Coral awards for documentary, fiction, short and medium-length films, Opera Prima, animation, un-produced scripts, posters, and post-production.
In addition to the Coral awards, there is the FIPRESCI Award from the International Federation of Film Critics, and the SIGNIS Award from the World Catholic Association for Communication Collateral Awards. Other prizes come from Cuban and foreign institutions for films within the Competition and Latin America in Perspective categories.
Alberto Ramos Ruiz, Festival programmer said, “Bolivia and Costa Rica are the big surprises of the edition. Costa Rica presents Domingo y la niebla in the Latin American competition and two debut films: Clara Sola (Nathalie Álvarez Mesén) and Tengo sueños eléctricos (Valentina Maurel), while Bolivia brings the debut film Utama (Alejandro Loayza Grisi) and the feature film El gran movimiento (Kiro Russo).”
“The entire subcontinent is represented with at least one film in one of our sections. Likewise, in addition to the diversity of countries represented, we can appreciate an experimental mode as a boom in the cinematography of the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua,” said Ramos.
This year’s Festival will have a greater female presence in the selection. Of the 15 first feature films in competition, women direct nine works. This year’s productions by women include Mafifa, by Cuban filmmaker Daniela Muñoz Barroso, Eami, a documentary film by Paraguayan Paz Encina, and Laura Mora’s Los Reyes del Mundo, winner at San Sebastian.
Featured films from Spain, France and Italy,: No somos nada (Javier Corcuera; Spain), and In viaggio (Gianfranco Rosi; Italy).
The event is organized by the Ministry of Culture with corporate sponsorship from the Embassies of Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Norway, the Government of Spain Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Government of Chile, CONACULTA, INCAA, Proimágenes Colombia, ACINE, CNAC, Bucanero, Heineken, KELONIK, Gran Caribe, Havana Club, Cuba Ron, Jameson Whiskey, Brascuba, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales, Accion Cultura Espanola, Fundacion SGAE, Goethe Institute and Aracne.
The opening gala night is on December 1st at the Charles Chaplin Cinema at 7:00 p.m. featuring the film Argentina 1985, by Santiago Mitre.
Films will be shown at the following movie theatres in Havana:
- 23 y 12 | 23 entre 12 y 14, Vedado, La Habana
- Acapulco | 26 entre 35 y 37, Nuevo Vedado, La Habana
- Centro Cultural ICAIC | 23 entre 10 y 12, Vedado, La Habana
- Charles Chaplin | 23 entre 10 y 12, Vedado, La Habana
- Multicine Infanta | Infanta entre Neptuno y San Miguel, Centro Habana
- Karl Marx | 1ra y 10, Playa, La Habana
- La Rampa | 23 entre O y P, Vedado, La Habana
- Pabellón Cuba | 23 y N, Vedado, La Haban
- Riviera | 23 entre G y H, Vedado, La Habana
- Yara | L y 23, Vedado, La Habana
- Sala Caracol de la UNEAC | Calle 17 esq H, Vedado, La Habana
- Sala Charlot | 23 entre 10 y 12, Vedado, La Habana
- Fábrica de Arte | Calle 26, La Habana
- Sala Walfredo Piñera | Calle Tacón entre Chacón y Mercaderes, Habana Vieja.
Passports to Havana’s film festival are available for purchase.
The full program is available on the official website of the Havana International Film Festival of New Latin American Cinema.
From our staff writers and editors.
