Gibara, Cuba, Jul 4 (Prensa Latina) The president of the Gibara International Film Festival (FIC Gibara), Jorge Perugorria, reiterated his commitment to the continuity of Humberto Solas' work by inaugurating the event that interweaves various arts today.

Gibara or The White Crab Village, as it is also known, is located on the northeast coast of the island, 764 kilometers from Havana.

During the first gala, held at the local Jiba cinema, the Lucia de Honor Awards were given to Cuban actors Mirta Ibarra and Salvador Wood, and to filmmaker Enrique Pineda Barnet, for their life-long work.

The companies Acosta Danza and Codanza enriched with their choreographies the opening ceremony of the event, where tribute was also paid to the founder of the event, who passed away, with the screening of the documentary Humberto Solas: virtuosity and excellence, by the director Manuel Jorge.

Dedicated to childhood and adolescence, this edition features exhibitions by UNICEF, the Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) and community actions by the Latin American and Caribbean Platform for the Audiovisual Universe of Children and Adolescents (UNIAL).

Projections of the classic Memoirs of Underdevelopment and Lucia by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Humberto Solas, respectively, and performances by Benicio del Toro of Terry Gilliam's films Fear and Disgust in Las Vegas, and The Shape of Water, which won four Oscars, are among the most eagerly awaited.

Other proposals for the festival include a concert in homage to the Argentine director Eliseo Subiela, with the soundtrack of his film The Dark Side of the Heart; talks with the awardees of the 2018 Lucia of Honour; panels on gender and audiovisuals in childhood and adolescence; and the exhibition Retrospective, by the plastic artist Cosme Proenza.

The House of Culture of Gibara has already hosted a panel entitled S.O.S. Heritage: Resilience and Integrity and the opening of the exhibition entitled Nocturnal: Movie Posters.

One of the best theatre productions in the country at the moment came here from Osvaldo Doimeadios, who directed the actresses Venice Feria and Andrea Doimeadios, the latest winner of the Aquelarre 2017 Screenplay Award for this work.

The screening of the films Sergio & Serguei, co-produced by Spain, Cuba and the United States by Ernesto Daranas, and 25 hours, a US-Cuba co-production by Carlos Barba, are also among the proposals for the upcoming days of Jiba cinema.

The audience is also waiting for the concerts of Cuban singer-songwriters Polito Ibañez, Raul Paz and David Torrenz, in the Plaza da Silva, where they will alternate with Pancho Cespedes and Sintesis.