The Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), on its 65th anniversary, won the Ibero-American Development Cooperation Award in the Culture category, conferred by the Organisation of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI).

The important award, consisting of a medal and diploma, has been communicated to the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso Grau, in a letter from the Director of the OEI in Cuba, Iosmara Fernández Silva, who assures that the organisation has decided to grant these awards to entities and individuals «for their outstanding contribution to cooperation for the development of the Ibero-American region».

In the minutes of the first edition of these awards, signed by the secretary general of the OEI, it is stated that «the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, founded in 1959, has been fundamental in the preservation and promotion of culture in Cuba and Latin America».

The document states that the institution has developed key projects such as the Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano and the Revista Cine Cubano, as well as creating the Cinemateca de Cuba in 1960. It highlights its production of Animados ICAIC, the creation of the Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano and the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora. He concludes: «Over the years, the ICAIC has been a reference in the training of filmmakers and has supported the development of emerging cinematographies in the region».

The initiative is part of the celebration of the IEO’s 75th anniversary, and is based on the organisation’s exhaustive knowledge of its political, institutional and academic relations, as well as its intense and constant cooperative activity.

Founded in 1949, the OEI has established itself as the leading organisation for cooperation between Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Ibero-American countries, representing a significant bridge in relations between Europe and Ibero-America, as well as one of the largest cooperation networks in Ibero-America.