Havana Film Festival (Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano)

Overview

The Havana Film Festival (Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano) is the largest competitive festival dedicated to Latin American and Caribbean cinema. The 47th edition runs December 3 to 13, 2026, in Havana, Cuba. The festival accepts films across 9 competitive categories including fiction features, documentaries, first features, short films, animation, and unproduced screenplays.

The 46th edition (December 4 to 14, 2025) received 2,225 submissions (1,631 films, 474 scripts, 120 posters) and selected 222 works from 42 countries, with 114 competing for Coral Awards. The festival launched MECLA "Isla Abierta," a new Latin American Film Market designed to connect producers, distributors, sales agents, festival programmers, and digital platforms across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eurasia.

The festival was founded in 1979 with the specific mission of supporting New Latin American Cinema, the politically and artistically engaged filmmaking movement that emerged across the region in the 1960s and 1970s. The Coral Award is the festival's top prize and carries significant recognition within Latin American cinema.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through the festival website or in person at the festival offices (Calle 2, esquina 19, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolucion, Havana). The festival does not use FilmFreeway.

47th edition (2026) submission timeline:

• Submissions open: May 28, 2026
• Submission deadline: August 15, 2026
• Festival dates: December 3 to 13, 2026

46th edition (2025) submission timeline (for reference):

• Submissions open: May 2025
• Submission deadline: August 15, 2025
• Festival dates: December 4 to 14, 2025

Eligibility requirements:

• Films must focus on Latin American or Caribbean themes
• Films must be completed between 2025 and 2026 (for the 47th edition)
• Films that have participated in previous editions of the festival are ineligible for competition
• Films that have been screened at other film events in Cuba are ineligible for competition (but may be considered for non-competitive showcases)
• Films that have been openly shared on digital platforms are ineligible for competition
• Registration fees apply as specified in the festival regulations

Competitive categories:

• Fiction Feature (Largometraje de ficcion)
• First Feature (Opera prima)
• Documentary Feature (Largometraje documental)
• Short Film (Cortometraje)
• Animation (Animacion)
• Other Territories (Otros territorios) - alternative narrative proposals
• Arrecife - queer cinema
• Unproduced Screenplay (Guion inedito)
• Poster (Cartel)

Additional industry categories:

• Coral Awards for In-Production and Post-Production (details published separately on the festival website under Industria)

Full guidelines and regulations are available at habanafilmfestival.com/regulation.

Key Sections

• Fiction Feature Competition - Latin American and Caribbean narrative features competing for the Coral Award
• First Feature Competition (Opera Prima) - debut features from emerging directors
• Documentary Feature Competition - nonfiction features from the region
• Short Film Competition - fiction and documentary shorts
• Animation Competition - animated films from Latin America and the Caribbean
• Other Territories (Otros Territorios) - alternative narrative proposals
• Arrecife - dedicated section for queer cinema
• Unproduced Screenplay Competition - screenplays not yet produced
• Poster Competition - film poster design
• Latinoamerica en Perspectiva - non-competitive showcase of regional cinema
• Panorama Internacional - non-competitive showcase of international films
• MECLA "Isla Abierta" - Latin American Film Market connecting producers, distributors, sales agents, and platforms

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Havana Film Festival is the most significant competitive platform for Latin American and Caribbean cinema. Films from outside the region can be programmed in the Panorama Internacional section but are not eligible for the main Coral Awards. The December timing places Havana at the end of the festival calendar, making it a destination for films that have already premiered elsewhere but seek significant Latin American exposure.

The 46th edition (2025) introduced MECLA "Isla Abierta," a new market initiative designed to position Havana as a bridge between Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eurasia. The market is open to producers, distributors, sales agents, festival programmers, digital platforms, and service companies. This is the first dedicated industry market at the festival, addressing a long-standing gap in the festival's infrastructure compared to other major Latin American festivals like Guadalajara's Encuentro de Coproduccion.

The 46th edition also introduced a scholarship for women filmmakers over 50, created in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund and Proyecto Palomas. This initiative addresses age-related barriers to access for female creators in the region.

Travel to Cuba requires specific documentation for many nationalities. US filmmakers must verify current travel authorization requirements before planning festival attendance. The festival offices are located at Calle 2, esquina 19, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolucion, Havana. Registration can be completed at the offices in person if online submission is not feasible.

The 46th edition celebrated the centenary of Alfredo Guevara, the intellectual founder of the festival and a key figure in Latin American cinema. The Coral de Honor was awarded to Estudios Churubusco, Mexico's oldest and largest film production facility, as a gesture of recognition to Mexican cinema. The festival director is Tania Delgado Fernandez.

Major Awards

• Coral Award for Best Fiction Feature - top prize for Latin American narrative cinema
• Coral Award for Best First Feature (Opera Prima) - best debut feature
• Coral Award for Best Documentary - best nonfiction feature
• Coral Award for Best Short Film - best short film
• Coral Award for Best Animation - best animated film
• Special Jury Coral - jury special recognition
• Coral Awards for Directing, Screenplay, Cinematography, Acting, Original Score, and Editing - craft awards across competition categories
• Coral Awards for In-Production and Post-Production - industry awards for projects in development
• Best Poster - award for film poster design
• Best Unproduced Screenplay - award for screenplay not yet produced

Festival History

The festival was founded in 1979 by the Fundacion del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, an organization created to support and study Latin American cinema. The foundation was backed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Alfredo Guevara, with the support of the Cuban government. The festival reflected the cultural politics of the Cuban Revolution and the New Latin American Cinema movement that sought to decolonize regional filmmaking from Hollywood and European models.

Despite the political context of its founding, Havana has grown into a genuinely important platform for Latin American filmmaking across ideological boundaries. The festival has maintained its focus on Latin American and Caribbean cinema for over four decades, surviving Cuba's economic crises of the 1990s (Special Period), the digital transition, and ongoing US-Cuba political tensions.

The 46th edition in 2025 was held under the slogan "Rodando cine" ("Rolling cinema") and took place in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which hit eastern Cuba. The festival organized Cine Movil (Mobile Cinema) screenings for hurricane victims during the event, demonstrating the festival's community engagement beyond its competitive program. The launch of MECLA "Isla Abierta" at the 46th edition represents the most significant structural change to the festival's industry infrastructure in its history.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For understanding Latin American cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For full submission guidelines and regulations, visit habanafilmfestival.com/regulation.