The Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) has called for nominations for the 2026 National Film Award, which annually honours a living filmmaker residing in Cuba, for their career and body of work.

According to sources from Cubacine ICAIC, this award — which all figures linked to the different areas of creation in the seventh art may aspire to — takes into account the artist’s most relevant achievements, both for their aesthetic significance and their national and international projection.

A jury made up of important personalities from Cuban cinema and culture, including specialised critics, academics and other specialists of recognised prestige in the cultural sphere, will select the recipient of the Award, based on nominations made by a group of cultural institutions — one candidate in each case — within the country.

The Award will be indivisible, to be conferred next March as part of the activities for the ICAIC anniversary, and will include the presentation of a certificate, a work by a visual artist and a cash prize in national currency.

The nomination, duly substantiated, must be sent before 17th March to the Directorate of Artistic Creation of ICAIC, 8th floor, 23rd Street no. 1155, between 10 and 12, El Vedado, Havana; as well as via the email address creacionartistica65@gmail.com and the WhatsApp number: +53 59988425.

Mirtha Ibarra, an emblematic face of the seventh art in Cuba, was the recipient in the previous edition corresponding to 2025, in recognition of her extensive filmography, which includes films such as Up to a Point, House Swap, Guantanamera and Strawberry and Chocolate, among others.