International Festival of New Latin American Cinema Opens in Havana

The 41st International Festival of New Latin American Cinema opens this Thursday with the premiere in Cuba of ‘La Odisea de los Giles’ (Heroic Losers), an Argentine feature film that will be presented by two of its protagonists: Ricardo and Chino Darin.

The Karl Marx Theater will host the opening gala of the 41st Festival that will take place in Havana through December 15, and in which about 300 films from 37 countries will be screened.

Prior to the screening of ‘La Odisea de los Giles,’ the Cuban National Ballet, led by Viengsay Valdes, will perform a scene from the classic ‘Nutcracker’ in the version by the late Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso.

The festival maintains its founding precepts and is proud to continue screening films that cover the big issues of the Latin American reality, the President of the Festival, Ivan Giroud, said in a recent press briefing.

Of the total of films, 210 are from countries of the South American continent, led by Argentina and Brazil.

The rest of the audiovisuals come from other parts of the world, from nations such Spain, France, Germany and Great Britain.

Giroud pointed out that most films address the current Latin American reality with issues such as sexual diversity, indigenous peoples, the current situation in countries such as Bolivia, recreation in the region and the growing influence of fundamentalist religions, among others.

This 41st edition will be dedicated to celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the outstanding figures of Latin American cinema, Cuban documentary filmmaker Santiago Alvarez, who will be honored with a colloquium and exhibition.