The 20th edition of the Gibara International Low-Budget Film Festival will be held from July 14th to 18th, 2026. In the city also known as the White City of Crabs. According to its organizing committee, the festival will become a stage for resilience through the art of filmmaking.
Sergio Benvenuto Solás, president of the Organizing Committee, explained in an exclusive interview with CNA that the festival had initially been postponed. It was ultimately decided to hold it in the summer to encourage broad participation from university students and young people.
He noted that the project has a strong connection to the community. And that it is important to focus on the education of children, teenagers, and young adults. As the festival, in addition to showcasing films, is a multicultural event.
Benvenuto emphasized the resilience of this year’s edition. Explaining that although attendance will be lower and international participation will be reduced. So the festival was conceived based on a risk assessment and an adjustment of its concept to these circumstances.
In this regard, he announced that outdoor screenings will be enhanced by placing three screens at three different locations throughout the city. Also that a battery backup system will be in place for times when 24-hour electricity availability is unavailable.
The director stated that the event will illuminate the nights of Gibara. Although it will not feature the usual large concerts, the festival will maintain its usual standards and quality in its film program.
He highlighted that Gibara will function as a city of spotlights. Three of which will be dedicated to cinema, and that, at night, the festival will become a space of joy, quality, and light.
Moreover he commented that, as in all editions of the festival, there will be theater, music, dance, and a forum for discussions and exchanges. Although these offerings will be adapted to the current conditions in the country.
Its usual categories include feature films and short fiction films, documentaries, animation, and experimental cinema. While the main awards will be the Lucía Awards.
The Gibara International Low-Budget Film Festival was founded in April 2003 by the renowned filmmaker Humberto Solás. It was conceived as a platform to promote creativity and low-budget productions. Since then it has become one of the most highly regarded film festivals in Latin America.
With information from the Cuban News Agency
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