At a press conference held on July 22 in Havana, the organizing committee of the 18th Gibara International Film Festival released details of the works in competition, the theoretical program and the collateral actions that will take place between August 6 and 10 in this city on Cuba’s northeastern coast.
It was reported that more than 900 films were registered this year, representing about 40 countries, although the most outstanding presence was that of Brazil, with more than 300 films submitted.
For the official competition for the Lucia Awards, the Festival selection committee chose 83 works, divided into 11 fiction feature films, 24 fiction short films, 11 documentary feature films, 22 documentary shorts and 15 animated films; the largest presence in the competition will be from Cuba, followed by Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.
It was also announced that in this edition the Films in Progress category will be reinstated, which will reward projects with post-production services and possible distribution of the films, and the Poor Cinema Factory will be added, a space in which projects in development will be presented, whose beneficiaries will receive cash prizes to help production.
The organizers stressed that, along with the Lucia Awards, collateral prizes will be awarded by the Cuban Film Press Association, the National Federation of Film Clubs and the traditional Youth Jury.
As for the screenings, in parallel to the main competition, collateral screenings of the San Antonio de los Baños International Film and TV School and the Castilla-La Mancha Social Film Festival, among others, will be shown.
Meanwhile, theoretical spaces will address the experience of filmmakers from the Eastern part of the country, the challenges of exhibition and distribution from the perspective of filmmakers, international collaborations, film posters and film heritage in the commitment to the nation’s cultural values.
Other attractions of Festival will include theater performances, among them “Kilómetro Cero” and “Intimidad” by Liliana Lam and Alberto Corona, as well as concerts by the Orquesta Original de Manzanillo, David Blanco, Manolito Simonet, trova singer Frank Delgado, singer-songwriter Rochy Ameneiro, pianist Rodrigo García and quenista Rodrigo Sosa.
For the opening day, on August 6, the traditional parade through the streets of the city of Gibara, with the participation of locals and guests, and the opening gala at the Jiba Cinema with the presentation of the Honorary Lucia Award to Manuel Perez Paredes, Manuel Herrera Reyes and Livio Delgado Camacho, three great Cuban filmmakers, National Film Awards and founders of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), are reserved.
With information by Aniel Santiesteban García
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