Havana Film Festival: Beyond a Latin American Event

With the slogan “Rolling Film,” the spotlight of the Havana New Latin American Cinema Festival is ready today to illuminate Cuba’s most important event of the Seventh Art—organized this year to represent cinema that goes beyond Latin America.

During a press conference, the festival’s director, Tania Delgado, detailed the program scheduled from December 4 to 14, unveiling the lineup of activities. Among them is a special section dedicated to the BRICS countries, featuring one film from each nation—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Delgado announced that the 46th Havana New Latin American Film Festival will feature entries from 42 countries across different regions, including Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Global Participation and Tributes

From Europe, France, Spain, Italy, and Norway will take part, Delgado noted. The festival will also present a significant showcase celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Churubusco Studios—one of Latin America’s oldest film institutions, located in the neighborhood of the same name in Mexico City.

Churubusco Studios will be honored this year with one of the festival’s Coral Awards, she added. “We are very pleased to bring a representation from Mexico in celebration of the studios’ eight decades,” Delgado remarked.

Another highlight of this edition is the remarkable number of submissions received from filmmakers. More than 2,000 works were submitted—1,631 films, 120 posters, and 474 scripts. These figures have remained stable over the past four years, Delgado explained.

The official selection includes 222 works, of which 114 are in competition, while the remainder belong to other sections such as Latin America in Perspective, International Panorama, Other Latitudes, Environments, and Special Presentations, the director outlined.

Competitions, Restorations, and Tributes

The festival maintains its traditional competitive sections and screenings of restored films. In this regard, an Argentine film directed by Hugo del Carril, never before shown in Cuba, will be featured, Delgado noted.

“We will also host our customary theoretical events and a tribute space marking the centenary of the festival’s founding president, Alfredo Guevara. We will dedicate an entire day to remembering him as an essential figure in Cuban cinema,” she emphasized.

New Initiatives and Forums

Amid conferences, exhibitions, competing films, and tributes, this year’s festival will also introduce a new filmmaking grant for women over 50, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Delgado announced.

Also standing out in 2025 is the Third Latin American and Caribbean Animation Forum “Juan Padrón in Memoriam,” to be held from December 8 to 11. This event aims to engage students from audiovisual faculties and foster reflection, learning, and collaboration among professionals and scholars in the field.

The Havana International Festival of New Latin American Cinema is no longer just Cuba’s event—it belongs to the world. In this spirit, it continues to broaden its mission and cultural scope.