The Havana Film Festival New York Is an Oasis of Cinema That Transports You to Latin America

The Havana Film Festival in New York always delivers. Going into its 19th year, it remains an essential event for lovers of Cuban cinema. In addition to showing a slew of amazing movies both from the island and Latin America at large, 2018’s HFFNY is brimming with events that celebrate the legacy and the future of the Cuban film industry. Prolific Cuban screenwriter Senel Paz is bringing the art of screenwriting to New York City, presenting a selection of his most seminal works at the 19th HFFNY while the fest will honor the 90th birthday of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (aka Titón) with three of his acclaimed films which have been digitally restored and re-mastered by the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Fresa y chocolate (1993), Los sobrevivientes (1979), and Una pelea cubana contra los demonios (1971).

As if that wasn’t enough HFFNY is also hosting The Actor’s Context, a conversation with three renowned Latin American actors: Mirtha Ibarra (Fresa y chocolate; Guantanamera), Jorge Perugorria (Fresa y chocolate; Lista de espera) and Sebastian Ospina (Soplo de vida; Tiempo de morir) promise to get personal in a discussion full of hands-on tips to deal with the complexities of acting, from working with weak scripts or amateur acting partners, to connecting with written characters, to inhabiting the liminal space between fiction and documentary in Latin American cinema.

But at the heart of this 10-day event are the films, so we’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of our top picks of flicks playing this year’s fest. It includes everything from documentaries on Cuban literary giants and Puerto Rican revolutionaries to Chilean dramas grappling with Pinochet’s legacy and Brazilian historical epics. Check them out below.

Havana Film Festival in New York runs April 6-17, 2018.