Latest News: Havana Film Festival Awards

During 11 days of retracing their steps through the streets of Havana in search of the best selections — in the drizzle, cold or sun — Cuban movie buffs enjoyed a worldwide panorama on celluloid.
We found ourselves in solidarity with an unemployed Brazilian father of a desperate family (perhaps that solidarity was stronger than ever given the concreteness of the issue these days),

Fernando Pérez wins Havana Festival Best Director Award

Cuban filmmaker and scriptwriter Fernando Pérez won the Best Director Award at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, his seventh Coral prize since making his debut in 1987.

His film “José Martí, el ojo del canario”(José Martí, the Eye of the Canary), a humanistic look at the Cuban independence fighter and national hero, also won the awards for Best Artistic Direction and Best Poster and the Signis Prize on Sunday night.

A day earlier, he received eight of the festival’s collateral prizes, including from UNICEF.

Cuba arrives to London: Marti, the Eye of the Canary – Special Preview this Saturday

Marti, el ojo del canario

Marti, the Eye of the Canary (Marti, el ojo del canario) (15*) – UK Premiere
20:45 / A fascinating insight into the inner world of famed Cuban revolutionary Jose Marti from acclaimed director Fernando Perez (Suite Havana, Madrigal)
25 September 2010
Barbican – London

In his new film, acclaimed Cuban director Fernando Perez (Suite Havana, Madrigal) focuses on the early years of famed

Cuba arrives at the Barbican, London

Chico & Rita

This year, Barbican Film celebrates Cuba on film with two very special UK premieres.

Chico & Rita is a beautiful animation, re-creating 1940’s Havana, New York and Las Vegas, with an original soundtrack from legendary Cuban musician Bebo Valdes, featuring Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie Charlie Parker and Chucho Valdes.

Marti, The Eye of the Canary (Marti, el ojo del canario) is acclaimed Cuban director Fernando Perez‘

The latest movie by Cuban director Fernando Perez about Jose Marti

By Irina Echarry

The latest movie by Cuban director Fernando Perez premiered this first days of April at the Charlie Chaplin Theater in Havana.  As was expected, the public attended the function of “Jose Marti, the Eye of the Canary” searching for their national hero. But, what did they find?

We Cubans are used to the mystification of our native heroes —wrapping them up in the mantel of absolute goodness and putting them in an urn so they do not become contaminated with daily routine (as if they had not emerged from it).

Therefore, the construction of Jose Julian (the lead character in the film) and the pre-established image of Marti (the one they teach us in school and in writings about him) had a good bit of distance between them.

That was what the director and script writer wanted to show us: the human being that Marti could have been.

Cuban film season opened in Cairo

A week of Cuban cinema at the Egyptian Centre of International Cultural Cooperation was opeed on November 19.

Due to the strong links between the Cuban Embassy in El Cairo and the Sector of International Cultural Relationships of the Egyptian Cultural Ministry and following a proposal made by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC, after its initials in Spanish), was opened the week of Cuban cinema at the Egyptian Centre of International Cultural Cooperation.