Havana’s International Festival of New Latin American Cinema

A total of 105 films representing 17 countries are slated for participation in the 31st International Festival of New Latin American Film in Havana. The Festival’s Official Film Selection includes 110 films, of which 105 will compete for the Coral Awards in the categories of fiction feature film (21), first film [opera prima] (21), fiction short film (15), documentary (24), and animation (24). The other 5 will be screened but not slated to compete. New and seasoned directors, such as Suzana Amaral, will come together to present their work from December 3 to 13, 2009.

Most of the young directors representing new talent from Cuba are graduates of Cuban film schools, such as the San Antonio de los Baños Film Institute, which has produced quite a few directors that have achieved recognition around the world. Among the participating films, Brazil has presented the most material with 23 films competing in the five different categories, followed by Argentina and Mexico with 21 works each; Chile and Cuba (9), Peru (7), and Colombia, Uruguay, and Venezuela (4 each). Bolivia, Canada, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom have each registered one film.