Photo: Courtesy of CNA

Low-Budget Cinema Factory Announces Audiovisual Training Workshop

The Low-Budget Film Factory is planning a training workshop aimed at creators from the five eastern provinces and Camagüey. With the goal of concluding a cycle at the upcoming edition of the Gibara International Low-Budget Film Festival (FICGibara).

Sergio Benvenuto Solás, the initiative’s general coordinator, explained in exclusive statements to CNA that the workshop’s core focus will be training participants to develop project dossiers. Ranging from the written version to the oral presentation. Also that are ready to be pitched at national and international events, including virtual ones.

The director added that the gathering will be part of the platform’s annual cycle. Which begins at one edition of FICGibara and concludes at the next. Ensuring twelve months of continuous work dedicated to strengthening the Factory as a tool for cultural empowerment in the country’s eastern region.

The producer noted that this will be the first time the activity takes place outside its usual headquarters in the “Villa Blanca de los Cangrejos” (Gibara). Moving the event to San Pablo de Yao, in Granma province. It demonstrates a commitment to bringing training to new areas and decentralizing Cuban audiovisual production. Particularly in a region where it is harder to access the cooperation funds for filmmaking that are typically concentrated in Havana.

Osmanys Sánchez Arañó, an independent filmmaker and the course’s educational coordinator, specified that the choice of this location. Situated in the mountainous heart of Granma, it reflects a recognition of the track record of *Televisión Serrana*. A benchmark for training prominent filmmakers within the national audiovisual landscape. As well as the opportunity to reduce costs by utilizing local instructors.

Sánchez Arañó explained that the initiative seeks to showcase this area of the country as a creative hub. Also as the region offers settings, traditions, and voices that are underrepresented in national cinema. The specialist emphasized that the selection process will prioritize inclusion and creative potential. That the basic requirements will be being of legal age and residing in the eastern region or Camagüey. So that neither a résumé nor prior studies will be required, as the course’s greatest reward will be seeing a novice author successfully complete their work.

Moreover the instructor stated that the “pitching” session—a public presentation of a film project to funding bodies, institutions, and specialists—will take place during FICGibara. This event marks the culmination of the work supported by the platform. Offering opportunities for financing, co-production, and distribution during the festival.

The Gibara International Low-Budget Film Festival, founded in 2003 by Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solás, saw the launch of this platform in 2024. The platform became firmly established in 2025 and will hold its third edition during the upcoming festival, scheduled for April 2027.

With information from the Cuban News Agency

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