Green light, action! is the guideline that marks the beginning of the 44th edition of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema (FINCL), in this capital city.

It will be «The Settlers», debut feature film by Chilean Felipe Gálvez, nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2024 Oscar Awards, which will be screened tonight at the Chaplin Hall to kick off the most awaited film event by Cubans and foreigners alike.

A total of 199 films in competition from almost twenty Latin American countries are part of this year’s selection to compete in categories such as Fiction Feature, Opera Prima, Documentary, Animation and Postproduction, which are grouped in the sections «Latin America in Perspective», «Cinema and New Television», «Special Presentations» and «Restored Classics», said Tania Delgado Fernandez, director of the event.

She pointed out that most of the films come from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Chile, followed by Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela and Cuba, which has some 30 films on the official list.

The FINCL director pointed out that the event welcomes films from beyond Latin America’s borders, so there will be films from Spain, the United States, Finland, Hungary, Belgium, Iran, Italy, Japan, France and India, among others.

Among the most recurrent themes of these audiovisual creations are family relationships, childhood, adolescence and youth, gender perspective, diversity, violence, the environment and the approach to historical events, noted Delgado Fernandez.

He noted that 231 scripts and 128 posters were also presented.

The official FINCL theaters will be Yara, Acapulco, 23 and 12, Chaplin and La Rampa, and will be joined by the Glauber Rocha theater of the New Latin American Cinema Foundation and the one at the University of the Arts.

The screening of the documentary «Buñuel, un cineasta surrealista», by Javier Espada, and two restored films will pay tribute to Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, on the 40th anniversary of his death.

French actor Max Linder will also be honored.

Beyond the films in competition, FINCL is a propitious moment for exchange among academics, filmmakers and film industry specialists in general.

In this regard, Delgado Fernández highlighted that there will be a panel on Julio García Espinosa, another one dedicated to audiovisual identity and globalization and the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Ibermedia program.

Of great importance will be the holding of the Juan Padrón Animation Forum between December 9 and 11 at the Animation Studios of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (Icaic), as well as the workshop «Audiovisual Challenges in the Digital Environment,» which will be devoted to film heritage, its restoration and conservation.

Among the collateral activities, he highlighted the awarding of the Memory of the World status to the Cuban film poster collection, conferred by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2023.

Honors will be paid to filmmaker Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, as this year marks three decades since the premiere of his film «Strawberry and Chocolate».

The «New Looks» section, which reinforces the link between the students of the International Film and Television School (EICTV) of San Antonio de los Baños and the festival, will be a significant moment of the seventh art event in Latin America.

Delgado Fernández described as special the presence of guests such as María Novaro, filmmaker and president of the Mexican Film Institute; Agnés Jaoui, French filmmaker, screenwriter and actress, and Sergi López, Spanish actor.

A new feature of the 44th edition of the FINCL will be its appearance on the streets of the city in the form of a giant movie theater when a large screen will be installed on the iconic corner of 23rd and 12th for the enjoyment of the people.

Admission to the screening rooms will cost 10 pesos in local currency (CUP), while the usual passports -valid for eight films- will be worth 60 CUP.

Tickets can be purchased through the digital platform La Papeleta.

The 44th edition of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema will end on December 17.