Ending the year with a great movie

The 43rd International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana has arrived in the capital of all Cubans with the best cinema in the region, at a time when the seventh art has not yet regained its place among the entertainment proposals of a large part of the cinema. the society…

Currently, it is much easier and cheaper at the same time to show a movie on computer screens and home televisions. Since December 1, the festival has changed this reality, to a minimum compared to other years. Perhaps the excitement that abounds at the premieres of Cuban films is no longer heard, the applause and applause that fills the halls are not heard, and many foreign audiences are not present; But yes, on the streets one way or another I felt that the day had already begun Film festival.

This year there were a large number of entries, with dozens of works in competition and 15 feature films selected. Choir Award, including the participation of a “wave” of young filmmakers with worried and inquiring eyes. Topics already dealt with in previous festivals came this time with a more critical vision but sometimes somewhat generalized and sometimes negative, as happened with some works that competed in the category of long novels and first feature.

Its most awarded films were Argentina, 1985, which brought home a Choir Award for Male Performance (Ricardo Darín), Art Direction, Screenplay and a SIGNIS Award; and El Gran Movimiento (Bolivia), winner of the Coral Grand Prize for feature films and also those for direction, editing and sound.

Other honors awarded include Choral Award for Female Performance, Fiction: Julia Chávez, for El otro Tom (Mexico); Choral Prize for Original Music, Fantasy: Molica 100 Calcinha, by Mato Sekou M. Chamas (Brazil, Portugal); Choral Award for First Work: Amparo, Simone Mesa Soto (Colombia, Sweden, Germany, Qatar); Coral Prize for Short Film, Fiction: Chão de fábrica (Workers’ Story), by Nina Copco (Brazil); Feature Narrative Jury Special Prize: Regra 34, by Julia Murat (Brazil, France); Choral Award for Feature Documentary Film: Iami directed by Paz Encina (Paraguay, Argentina); Coral Award for Animated Feature Film: Bob Spits – We Don’t Like People, by Cesar Cabral (Brazil); Coral Prize for Animated Short Film: Bestia, by Hugo Covarrubias (Chile), Coral Prize for Photography, Fiction: Joanna Pimienta, for Mato Secco M Chamas (Brazil, Portugal).

Likewise, a festival novelty in 2022, the Arrecife Diversity Award for the film that best reflects the theme of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTIQ +) community has been awarded for the first time to Un varón by Fabian Hernandez (Colombia, France, Netherlands, Germany), tells the story of Carlos, a young man who lives in a boarding school in central Bogota and longs to spend Christmas with his family. The circumstances around him force him to assume the masculine stereotype, in direct contradiction to his own being. In private, he is aware of his own sensitivity and fragility and approaches other forms of masculinity.

The lack of sufficient promotion through the television media and the failure to reveal the billboard in places outside of the news and media magazines, was one of the factors that led to a part of the regular audience not attending the cinemas. Such was the case for animated films that this year the department presented proposals with very good billing and unfortunately not even 20 children came to theaters accompanied by their parents.

On this occasion, the festival has tried to somehow systematize the 185 films proposed on the billboard. However, the absence of cinemas such as La Rampa, Riviera and Multicine Infanta was felt, as well as the ten o’clock screening schedule at night, which is essential for many young people who, due to the academic reorganization of this school year, have come to an end. They arrive at their schools in the late afternoon with no time to enjoy the festival.

Meetings with filmmakers, producers and protagonists of the works shown, in addition to the theoretical program for the industry sector, were other necessary spaces. I know They discussed topics such as film distribution today, its benefits and challenges, presented by University of Montreal Professor Zaira Zarza and Artificial Intelligence (AI) filmmaking, under the representation of the Cinema Actors Guild. – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

In the latter, the benefits of artificial intelligence, machines or software programmed to mimic human thinking, and the conflicts their use can cause if not implemented carefully, are shared. Among the developments described are programs capable of writing scripts almost from scratch, predicting the success of a film, casting actors, selecting locations, editing video clips, and even composing music.