Cuban Films Exhibited in Lebanon

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 20 (acn) A festival of Cuban cinema was inaugurated in packed theater at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beirut , on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC).

The week-long Festival, which opened with Grammy nominee Strawberry and Chocolate, by Tomas Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, has the auspices of the Cuban Embassy in Lebanon and the prestigious Academy.

Also to be screened during the event are "Roble de olor", by Rigoberto López; "Suite Habana", by Fernando Pérez, and "That Silly Age", by Pavel Giroud, as well as the exhibition of some posters on Cuban films.

Khalil Smayra, audiovisual director of the renowned Lebanese cultural institution expressed his satisfaction for screening Cuban movies to mark the 50th anniversary ICAIC's founding.

For her part, M. Isabel Velázquez, in charge of Cultural Affairs with the Cuban diplomatic mission, made reference to the objectives of her government of bringing culture to the people, hence the coincidence of ICAIC's founding with the triumph of the Cuban Revolution five decades
ago.

She explained that despite the negative impact of the US blockade on national life, Cuban cinema has maintained its identity and essence, with a spirit of renewal.

In this regard, she highlighted the celebration in Cuba of the International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema and the work of the International Film and Television School located in San Antonio de los Baños, on the outskirts of Havana.

(Semana de cine cubano en Líbano)