The eighteenth edition of Nuevas Miradas concluded with great success for the Caribbean filmmakers of the ‘Incubando' section, who participated in this film production and networking event thanks to the support of the UNESCO programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, funded by the European Union.
Twelve young directors and producers from Cuba, Guyana, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Saint Kitts and Nevis, representing eight fiction and documentary film projects, received awards and incentives to develop their work.
This edition has introduced non-Hispanic Caribbean projects thanks to the Transcultura programme. The awards received reflect not only their artistic quality but also the potential of Caribbean cinema on the international stage.
The six days of masterclasses, workshops and mentorship sessions with over thirty film industry professionals from Latin America and Europe culminated in a pitching session. Following this, producers, sales agents, distributors and representatives of labs, festivals, markets and funding bodies decided who to award and support.
Spaces like Nuevas Miradas are vital for showcasing and internationalizing projects from their early development stages.
Notable awards include a direct pass to the DocMx festival and support from Zafiro Cinema ·¡²õ³¦Ãº³¦³ó²¹³¾±ð, a documentary by Cuban director and producer, Kevin Argudin. Other highlights were an invitation to the Producers and Film Projects Salon at the Cali Film Festival in Colombia and audience design consultancy from the World Cinema Fund for El amor en tiempo de BacanerÃas (Love in times of BacanerÃas) by Dominican director Iván de Lara and producer Cristian Mujica. Additionally, the project Non, je n’ai pas trouvé l’Eldorado, by Haitian director Séphora Monteau and producer Wendy Desert received coaching from the Swiss Fund Sud Est and advice on production and financing strategies from French documentarian, Tancrède Ramonet.
A programme like Transcultura, which allows emerging filmmakers to participate in major labs and events like Nuevas Miradas, is essential for developing our local cinema, but also for connecting with other Caribbean countries, as we share similar stories and contexts.
Professionalization of young filmmakers for industry diversity
The event not only advances the featured projects but also serves as a platform to boost the film careers of its participants, aligning with the goals of the Transcultura programme.
Organized by the Production Chair of the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños, Nuevas Miradas is one of the oldest and most prestigious film labs in Latin America and the Caribbean. It leverages the presence of film industry representatives at the Havana International Film Festival to connect them with emerging filmmakers from the region, thus supporting the diversity of voices and stories in cinema.
We already have stories that have been told from the European and Western point of view. We need to hear another perspective to open our minds and learn more about the diversity of humanity.
