The National Cineteca of Mexico opened its doors to a piece of the visual history of Caribbean cinema with the inauguration of the exhibition “The Cuban Cinema Poster. New Art for a Different Revolution”, an event that seals initiatives of cultural cooperation between institutions in Mexico and Cuba.
The display, presented to an enthusiastic public, consists of a selection of 15 posters from the collection held by the Embassy of Cuba in Mexico City. These works, created between 1964 and 1993, represent the creative effervescence of the island and include works by fundamental visual artists such as Raúl Martínez and René Portocarrero, as well as graphic designers of the calibre of Eduardo Muñoz and Antonio Fernández.
Attendees were able to admire the iconic pieces that promoted paradigmatic films of Cuban cinema, which include Lucía and Memorias del subdesarrollo.
During the inauguration, the Director General of the National Cineteca, Marina Stavenhagen, revealed that this collection is only the first part of a larger exhibition that will be presented next January in the facilities of the National Cineteca in Chapultepec.
“We are extremely honoured to be able to present in this exhibition an important part of the iconographic collection that the National Cineteca also safeguards and which evidences the creativity and diversity of graphic proposals of the very famous Cuban cinema poster,” expressed Stavenhagen.
The cultural evening culminated with the screening of the film Strawberry and Chocolate (1993), a classic of Cuban cinema. The official highlighted that this screening constituted a preview of the Cuban cinema cycle that will be shown formally at the Cineteca during the first month of 2026.
In a significant gesture of bilateral collaboration, Stavenhagen also highlighted the agreement reached with the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (Icaic) for the National Cineteca of Mexico to participate in the restoration of the film El hombre de Maisinicú (1973), directed by Manuel Pérez, who recently passed away.
“The team from Icaic and the Cinemateca of Cuba has today delivered 13 reels of material into our archive, and for the team of the film and digital laboratory of the National Cineteca of Mexico it is an enormous pride to participate in this initiative to rescue Latin American film heritage,” she assured.
The director expressed her confidence that these initiatives represent the starting point for opening the door to new possibilities for collaboration between both institutions.
The Vice President of Icaic, Yanín Martínez, commented on the relevance of bringing a programme like this to Mexico, which in her view demonstrates that many initiatives are still being carried out in Latin America with alliances between countries.
She took the opportunity to congratulate the people and the cinematography of Mexico, as in the next edition of the Havana Film Festival it will be precisely this nation that is the Focus country and one of the honours will go to Estudios Churubusco.
(With information from Prensa Latina)
