24TH HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL Returns To New York This April

The 24th Havana Film Festival New York, a project of The American Friends of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, features an exceptional program celebrating the diversity of voices and cultural expressions of Cuba and Latin America.

HFFNY 2024 will run from April 12-18, 2024, with special events on April 10 & 11, featuring over 35 award-winning films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, and Latino-Americans, many in their World, US, and NY premieres; accompanied by panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and other special events hosted by leading figures in Latin American cinema. All foreign-language films are subtitled in English unless specified.

HFFNY kicks off on Wednesday, April 10, at 2:45 pm with a free program honoring Nicolás Guillén Landrián as part of the festival's collaboration with Hofstra University. The Unseen Gaze: A Retrospective of Nicolás Guillén Landrián presents the significant restoration project unveiling the lost legacy of Cuba's pioneering black filmmaker, Nicolás Guillén Landrián. This restoration project sheds light on the forgotten contributions of Landrián while illuminating the dark realities that marginalized his work. Free and open to the public.

On Thursday, April 11, at 6 pm, HFFNY presents the virtual workshop Mastering Script Negotiation, Unlocking the Art of Negotiating Your Screenplay. Hosted by Lopera Sánchez, screenwriter and author of "Cómo negociar un guión" (How to Negotiate Your Script), this 3-hour masterclass invites participants to delve into the valuation of their creative work and discover innovative methods of approaching negotiations with industry professionals. The workshop is free of charge and will be conducted online in Spanish with simultaneous English translation. Participants are required to register in advance through HFFNY's website.

HFFNY rolls out the red carpet at Quad Cinema on Friday, April 12, at 6 pm, to officially welcome the directors and films competing for the Havana Star Prize, with the NY premiere of La Mujer Salvaje (Wild Woman) the award-winning film by scriptwriter and director Alán Gonzalez (Cuba). In a Havana slum, a woman survives a bloody fight between her husband and her lover. In a desperate attempt to spare her son from the scandal, she decides to run away with him, but a video of the incident has already gone viral.

HFFNY highlights the latest work of esteemed Cuban director Fernando Pérez, El Mundo de Nelsito (Nelsito's World), as the Centerpiece of this year's program, screening its NY Premiere on Sunday, April 14 at 8:40 pm. A poignant tale brimming with compassion and love, the film follows the titular Nelsito, an autistic teen who finds himself on a long road to recovery after an automobile accident.

The competition ends on Thursday, April 18, at 6:00 pm with the Havana Star Prize Awards Ceremony, followed by the Special Presentation of Sundance darling Igualada by Juan Mejia Botero, a powerful documentary that follows the journey of Afro-Colombian activist Francia Márquez as she challenges the status quo with a presidential campaign that inspires a nation to dream of a more equitable future.

HFFNY in partnership with the Cohen Film Collection presents Laughing through Rebellion: The Cine Libre of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, the most comprehensive showcase of the Legendary Cuban Filmmaker Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, affectionately known as Titón. Delve into the cinematic brilliance of Titón with six of his iconic films, newly restored by the Academy Film Archive. Discover classics such as Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry & Chocolate), La Muerte de un Burócrata (Death of a Bureaucrat), Los Sobrevivientes (The Survivors), La Última Cena (The Last Supper), Una Pelea Cubana Contra Los Demonios (A Cuban Fight Against Demons) and the short film El Arte Del Tabaco (6 min). The showcase offers an unparalleled opportunity to be immersed in the groundbreaking works of one of Cuba's most celebrated filmmakers.

Other special programs include Harmonies of the Americas: Celebrating Latin Music Legends, Past and Present, a vibrant homage to the rich tapestry of Latin music, featuring Cuban documentary La Leyenda de Arsenio by Rolando Almirante, Cuban documentary Santa Canción (Blessed Song) by Juan Carlos Travieso Fajardo, Colombian feature biopic Rebelión (Rebellion) by José Luis Rugeles, Brazilian documentary Aldo Baldin: A Life for Music by Yves Goulart, and U.S.-Colombian narrative short ¿Y la Calle Qué? by Dario Bolivar. HFFNY also celebrates short-form storytelling with a short film showcase on Tuesday, April 16 at 2:20 pm featuring La Gran Obra (Spain-US, Fiction) by Alex Lora, Jibaro (Cuba, Documentary) by Osmanys Sánchez Arañó, and Nube (Mexico-France-Hungary, Animation) by Christian Arredondo Narváez and Diego Alonso Sánchez de la Barquera Estrada.

HAVANA STAR PRIZE COMPETITION

HFFNY and Cinema Tropical present the 18 films that will be competing for the Havana Star Prize in the categories of Best Feature Film, Director, Screenplay, Actor/Actress, and Best Documentary. Havana Film Festival NY proudly announces our partnership with Cinema

FICTION

• DESPERTÉ CON UN SUEÑO / I WOKE UP WITH A DREAM

  Pablo Solarz | Argentina-Uruguay | Fiction | 2023 | 80 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/16 @ 4:00PM- Director Pablo Solarz present for Q&A

• PEDÁGIO / TOLL
  Carolina Markowicz | Brazil-Portugal | Fiction | 2023 | 102 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/16 @ 6:00PM

• MEMENTO MORI
  Fernando López Cardona | Colombia-Germany | Fiction | 2023 | 112 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/17 @ 4:50PM

• REBELIÓN / REBELLION
  José Luis Rugeles Gracia | Colombia-Argentina-U.S. | Fiction | 2022 | 105 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/14 @ 4:45 pm followed by a Q&A with director José Luis Rugeles

• LA HIJA DE LÁZARO / LAZARO'S DAUGHTER
  Gustavo Fallas | Costa Rica-Spain | Fiction | 2023| 90 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/17 @ 7:00PM - Director Gustavo Fallas present for Q&A

• BAJO UN SOL PODEROSO / UNDER A POWERFUL SUN
  Enrique (Kiki) Álvarez | Cuba | Fiction | 2022 | 87 min | US PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/13 @ 6:40 pm followed by Q&A with director Kiki Álvarez

• LA MUJER SALVAJE / WILD WOMAN
  Alán González | Cuba | Fiction | 2023 | 93 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/12 @ 6:00 pm (Preceded by Opening Night Ceremony; followed by Q&A with director Alán González and Opening Night Party)
  QUAD CINEMA: 4/12 @ 8:30 pm (Opening Night Encore Screening)

• UNA NOCHE CON LOS ROLLING STONES / A NIGHT WITH THE ROLLING STONES Patricia Ramos | Cuba-Nicaragua | Fiction | 2023 | 92 min | US PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/16 @ 8:00PM - Director Patricia Ramos present for Q&A

• HEROICO
  David Zonana | Mexico-Sweden | Fiction | 2022 | 88 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/15 @ 8:50PM

• EL CASO MONROY
  Josue Mendez | Peru-Venezuela | Fiction | 2023 | 95 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/15 @ 5:00 pm followed by a Q&A with director Juan Carlos Travieso

DOCUMENTARY:

• AYAHUASCA NOW

  Carlos Bruno Cejas | Argentina | Documentary | 2024 | 90 min | WORLD PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/13 @ 4:35 pm followed by Q&A with director Carlos Bruno & producer

  Mario Stecher

• EL CASTILLO
  Martin Benchimol | Argentina-France | Documentary | 2023 | 80 min | NY PREMIERE QUAD CINEMA: 4/15 @ 3:20 pm

• ALDO BALDIN: A LIFE FOR MUSIC
  Yves Goulart | Brazil | Documentary | 2024 | 114 min | WORLD PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/14 @ 12:30 pm followed by Q&A with director Yves Goulart

• NOSOTRAS / WE, THE WOMEN
  Emilce Quevedo Díaz | Colombia | Documentary | 2023 | 70 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/14 @ 7:00 pm followed by a Q&A with director Emilce Quevedo

• TRANSFARIANA
  Joris Lachaise | Colombia-France | Documentary | 100 min | US PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/17 @ 9:00PM

• LANDRIÁN
  Ernesto Daranas Serrano | Cuba-Spain | Documentary | 2023 | 80 min | NY PREMIERE

  HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY (LEO A. GUTHART CULTURAL CENTER THEATER): 4/10 @ 4:20 pm QUAD CINEMA: 4/14 @ 3:00 pm

• SANTA CANCIÓN / BLESSED SONG
  Juan Carlos Travieso Fajardo | Cuba | Documentary | 2023 | 71 min | US PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/15 @ 5:00 pm followed by a Q&A with director Juan Carlos Travieso

• TITO, MARGOT Y YO / TITO, MARGO & ME
  Mercedes Arias, Delfina Vidal | Panama-Colombia | Documentary | 2022 | 92 min | NY PREMIERE

  QUAD CINEMA: 4/13 @ 2:30 pm followed by Q&A with directors Mercedes Arias & Delfina Vidal

BOX OFFICE AND DISCOUNTS

HFFNY offers discounted ticket prices through its selection of Festival passes. It also advertises time-limited reduced-price sales for screenings and events on its social media pages. For more information, follow us on social media at @hffny and visit us at www.HFFNY.com.

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