Everything is ready for the 24th edition of the event to be held from April 12 to 18. Havana Film Festival of New York. This is a project organized by The American Friends of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba (AFLFC), in order to celebrate the diversity of voices and cultural expressions of Cuba, Latin America and Latinos at US HFFNY 2024.
Through a press release they shared some details of the event, which will bring together more than 35 internationally awarded films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, among other countries.
Each of these productions will be subtitled in English so that this cultural exchange converges in a better way.
This year there is planned to be a captivating programme, which also contains fascinating stories, full of important messages to stimulate minds. In the proposal there are stories of suspense, adventure, social justice, romance and even satirical comedies.
Diana Vargas, artistic director of HFFNY, shared some details of what the public will be able to enjoy in the Big Apple: “The festival presents narratives that reflect the contemporary times in which we live, often uncomfortable and occasionally uncertain, but that They consistently reflect our diverse experiences. As Latinos, we are a creative force, seeking to amplify these voices and reaffirm our presence in this city as vital contributors to its cultural tapestry.”
The event will kick off at Quad Cinema, on April 12 at 06:00 pm, when directors who will compete for the Havana Star Prize will be welcomed. ‘The Wild Woman’, by Cuban Alan González, is scheduled to be released. Then, on Saturday, the competition will continue until Thursday, April 18, when the awards will be held.
Subsequently, they will make a special presentation of one of the favorite films at the recent Sundance Festival, the documentary Igualada by Colombian director Juan Mejia Botero.
Some activities they will do at the festival are: “The hidden gaze: a retrospective of Nicolás Guillén Landrián”which shows the restoration of 10 short films by the Afro-Cuban filmmaker, Nicolás Guillén Landrián. This restoration project sheds light on Landrián’s forgotten contributions while illuminating the dark realities that marginalized his work. It is a free program open to the public.
The next day, HFFNY will present the virtual workshop How to Negotiate your Screenplay: Strategies for the success of selling your story, dictated by Lopera Sánchez, screenwriter and author of How to negotiate a script. “A 3-hour master class that invites participants to deepen the appreciation of their creative work and discover innovative methods on how to negotiate with industry professionals,” they explained.
The workshop is free and will be conducted online in Spanish with simultaneous translation in English. Participants must register on the ww.HFFNY.com page
The Festival in association with Cohen Film Collection, present Laughter and rebellion: The free cinema of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (Laughing through Rebellion: The Free Cinema of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea,) the largest exhibition to date of the work of legendary Cuban filmmaker Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Titón.
The organization will also highlight the latest project by Cuban director Fernando PerezThe World of Nelsito, as the centerpiece of this year’s program, screening its premiere in NY, the Sunday, April 14 at 8:40 pm.
Regarding the films that are in competition for the Havana Star Prize, they are distributed as follows:
Fiction
● I WOKE UP WITH A DREAM
Pablo Solarz | Argentina-Uruguay | Fiction | 2023 | 80 min | NY PREMIERE
● PEDÁGIO / TOL
Carolina Markowicz | Brazil-Portugal | Fiction | 2023 | 102 min | NY PREMIERE ● MEMENTO MORI
Fernando López Cardona | Colombia-Germany | Fiction | 2023 | 112 min | NY PREMIERE ● REBELLION
José Luis Rugeles Gracia | Colombia-Argentina-US | Fiction | 2022 | 105 min | NY PREMIERE ● THE DAUGHTER OF LAZARUS
Gustavo Fallas | Costa Rica-Spain | Fiction | 2023| 90 min | NY PREMIERE
● UNDER A POWERFUL SUN
Enrique (Kiki) Álvarez | Cuba | Fiction | 2022 | 87 min | US PREMIERE
● THE WILD WOMAN
Alan Gonzalez | Cuba | Fiction | 2023 | 93 min | NY PREMIERE
● A NIGHT WITH THE ROLLING STONES
Patricia Ramos | Cuba-Nicaragua | Fiction | 2023 | 92 min | US PREMIERE
● HEROIC
David Zonana | Mexico-Sweden | Fiction | 2022 | 88 min | NY PREMIERE
● THE MONROY CASE
Joshua Mendez | Peru-Venezuela | Fiction | 2023 | 95 min | NY PREMIERE
Documentary film:
● AYAHUASCA NOW
Carlos Bruno Cejas | Argentina | Documentary | 2023 | 90 min | WORLD PREMIERE ● THE CASTLE
Martin Benchimol | Argentina-France | Documentary | 2023 | 80 min | NY PREMIERE ● ALDO BALDIN: A LIFE FOR MUSIC
Yves Goulart | Brazil | Documentary | 2024 | 114 min | WORLD PREMIERE
● WE
Emilce Quevedo Díaz | Colombia | Documentary | 2023 | 70 min | NY PREMIERE ● TRANSFARIANA
Joris Lachaise | Colombia-France | Documentary | 100 min | US PREMIERE
● LANDRIÁN
Ernesto Daranas Serrano | Cuba-Spain | Documentary | 2023 | 80 min | NY PREMIERE ● HOLY SONG
Juan Carlos Travieso Fajardo | Cuba | Documentary | 2023 | 71 min | US PREMIERE ● TITO, MARGOT AND ME
Mercedes Arias, Delfina Vidal | Panama-Colombia | Documentary | 2022 | 92 min | NY PREMIERE