Havana Film Festival

History

The inaugural International Festival of New Latin American Cinema was held on December 3, 1979. More than 600 film directors of Latin America responded to the first call made by the Cuban Institute of the Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC). Its founders included ICAIC president Alfredo Guevara, and the filmmakers Julio García Espinosa and Pastor Vega.

As expressed in its founding convocation, the festival aimed to "promote the regular meeting of Latin American filmmakers who with their work enrich the artistic culture of our countries (…); ensure the joint presentation of fiction films, documentaries, cartoons and current events (…), and contribute to the international diffusion and circulation of the main and most significant productions of our cinematographies".

The inaugural festival hosted over 600 filmmakers from across Latin America. Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez as president of the Fiction jury and Cuban filmmaker Santiago Álvarez as president of the jury for Documentaries and Animation. The Coral Grand Prize winners were Colonel Delmiro Gouveia (dir. Geraldo Sarno, Brazil) and Maluala (dir. Sergio Giral, Cuba) in Fiction, The Battle of Chile: the Struggle of a People Without Arms (dir. Patricio Gúzman, Chile) in Documentary, and Elpidio Valdés (dir. Juan Padrón, Cuba) in Animation.

In 2013, following the death of the then-President and co-founder Alfredo Guevara, the Havana Film Festival announced it was reappointing Iván Giroud as President. He had previously served in that position from 1994–2010.

Awards

Within the following categories, approximately 40 awards are given:

• Films
• Documentaries
• Animation
• First Work
• Direction
• Cinematography
• Other awards, including the FIPRESCI prize

Winners

Grand Coral Award for Best Film

Awards by nation

References

References

1. "Havana Film Festival".
2. "Fundadores".
3. "Historia".
4. Burnett, Victoria. (April 22, 2013). "Alfredo Guevara Valdés, 87, Steward of Cuban Cinema and Castro Ally, Dies". The New York Times.
5. (May 18, 2013). "Iván Giroud Reappointed Director of the Havana Film Fest". Cinema Tropical.
6. "Havana Film Festival".
7. (11 December 2021). "Premios Coral de la edición 42 del Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano".
8. (15 December 2022). "Premios Coral de la edición 43 del Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano".
9. (7 September 2024). "La mexicana ´Tótem´ triunfa en el Festival Internacional de Cine de La Habana".
10. (21 April 2025). "2024 Best cinematography winner".