Havana film festival to champion LatAm diversity: organizers

The 38th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, to be held here on Dec. 8-18, will champion a diverse approach to the issues and problems afflicting the region, organizers said Thursday.

The event, which touts itself as an alternative to mainstream festivals and their narrow focus on multimillion-dollar Hollywood blockbusters, will feature U.S. filmmakers Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma, as well as Brazilian actress Sonia Braga and others.

"The festival provides a venue for filmmakers who have no place in other markets, because it has a fairly wide scope that allows people to approach the event from different perspectives," Ivan Giroud, president of the event, said at a press conference.

As one of the most important festivals of its kind in Latin America, this year's 38th edition received a total of 1,919 entries, of which 18 feature films were chosen, along with 22 short films, 18 works by first-time directors, 26 documentaries and 27 animated films, said Giroud.

The Havana film festival will showcase four classic Cuban films that have been upgraded to high definition.

Three of Hollywood's most successful films this year will also be presented, including "Jackie" by Pablo Larrain, "La La Land" by Damien Chazelle and "Snowden" by Oliver Stone.

"The screening of these major Hollywood movies at our festival is due to (a desire to) open doors and build bridges between the United States and Cuba," as the two countries work together to normalize bilateral ties, said Giroud.

Among the special screenings will be two documentaries, one on the Rolling Stones' 2016 Latin America tour and the other on their concert in Havana in March. Endi