Movie Archive Re-opened in Havana

The Movie Archive of the Cuban Film Institute, better known as ICAIC, was re-opened in Havana, after a huge restoration and modernization process.

The official opening of the audio-visual editing studios and the central digitalization unit also took place as part of activities to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of the establishment of ICAIC.

ICAIC Vice-president, Luis Alberto González Nieto, explained that in the basement of the newly recovered archives, founded on March 24, 1959 and now located at the Cubanacán Studios, the entire Cuban documentary production in black and white and all of the Latin American ICAIC News Reel is preserved.

Thanks to the re-design of the space, the storage capacity for the country’s film heritage has been increased to preserve it in optimum conditions.

The restoration took place with financial support of the Andalucía Board, an integral cooperation agreement between Cuba and Venezuela and the Cuban Ministry of Culture.

Fifty Years of Cine Cubano Magazine

The 176th edition of the Cine Cubano (Cuban Cinema) magazine, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of its creation, was launched at the ‘Fresa y Chocolate’ cultural Center in Havana.

Omar Gonzalez, president of the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC), said during the ceremony that Cine Cubano has always had a national reach that goes beyond ICAIC and filmmakers.

He expressed his satisfaction with the high quality of the publication which, he noted, is one of the oldest of its type in the world.

During the event, tribute was paid to founders and intellectuals, who have contributed with their works to the magazine’s pages along the past 50 years, such as Julio García Espinosa, Jose Massip, Tomas Gutierrez Alea, Alfredo Guevara, Luis Rogelio Nogueras, Gloria Villazon and Hector Garcia Mesa.

The new edition of the magazine includes a dossier on the movie ‘Jose Marti: el ojo del canario’ by Fernando Perez, which includes texts by outstanding intellectuals such as Fina Garcia Marruz and Fernando Martinez Heredia.

In addition, there are articles by Victor Fowler, Ambrosio Fornet and Francisco López Sacha. It also includes a dossier on the significance of the magazine and the work of its creators over the past 50 years.