Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television (EICTV)

Overview

The Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television (EICTV) is a residential film school in San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba, offering a 3-year program across 8 specializations. Founded on December 15, 1986 by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fernando Birri, Julio Garcia Espinosa, and the Cuban state, the school operates under the Foundation of New Latin American Cinema (Fundacion del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano). It is not institutionally or economically dependent on the Cuban government; Cuba provides the land and hospitality while the Foundation governs the school.

The school admits 5 to 6 students per specialty, totaling approximately 40 to 48 students per cohort. As of 2024, EICTV has graduated 1,094 alumni from 64 countries. The current student body includes 83 international students. Tuition is EUR 6,000 per year, which covers approximately 30% of the actual cost per student. The Cuban state and the school's own revenue cover the remaining 70%.

EICTV's founding principle is "aprender haciendo" (learn by doing), articulated by co-founder Fernando Birri. The school brings approximately 300 visiting professionals from across the Americas, Europe, and Africa to teach workshops during the 3-year program. Students live on campus in San Antonio de los Banos, a small town approximately 50 km southwest of Havana.

History

EICTV was founded on December 15, 1986, at the initiative of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fernando Birri, Julio Garcia Espinosa, and Tomas Gutierrez Alea. All four had studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome and brought Italian neorealist principles to Latin American cinema education. The school opened with 50 students from developing countries on full scholarships.

Key milestones include the launch of the FICCLAB fiction master's program (3rd edition in 2025), the expansion of visiting faculty to approximately 300 professionals per year, and the graduation of 1,094 alumni from 64 countries as of 2024. The school also runs a Master's International Film Program, with workshops led by visiting filmmakers like Diana El Jeiroudi, who taught a self-referential cinema workshop in January 2025.

Programs Offered

The Curso Regular is a 3-year program structured in two phases:

Year 1: Polivalencia (Generalist Year)

All students learn the fundamentals of every specialty. There are no separate tracks during this year. Students make a 3-minute short film where the film set becomes the classroom. The goal is to understand audiovisual creation from the perspective of each department and learn team collaboration.

Years 2-3: Specialization

Students focus on one of 8 specializations (chosen at application, no changes allowed after admission):

• Fiction Directing (Direccion de Ficcion)
• Documentary Directing (Direccion de Documental)
• Screenwriting (Guion)
• Production (Produccion)
• Cinematography (Fotografia)
• Sound (Sonido)
• Editing (Edicion)
• Television and New Media (Television y Nuevos Medios)

Key practical exercises in Year 2 include a 13-minute documentary shot in communities near the school, a documentary filmed in the Sierra Maestra mountains, and a 10-minute fiction short. Year 3 is dedicated primarily to the thesis project, evaluated publicly by an International Committee of professionals alongside the school's Academic Council. Fiction Directing and Documentary Directing are the most competitive specializations.

Notable Alumni and What They've Made

EICTV alumni have won prizes at Cannes, Toronto, San Sebastian, IDFA, and other major festivals. Notable graduates include:

• Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti (Class of 1990): Cuban director whose film Viva Cuba (2005) won the Grand Prix Ecrans Juniors at the Cannes Film Festival. Also directed the experimental short Oscuros Rinocerontes Enjaulados.
• Miguel Coyula: Cuban director and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient. His film Memories of Overdevelopment (2010) premiered at Sundance and won Best Director at the Malaga Film Festival. Blue Heart (2021) premiered at the Moscow International Film Festival. Chronicles of the Absurd (2024) won Best Latin American Documentary of the Year from Cinema Tropical.
• Tanya Valette: First-generation graduate who became the school's 7th director and the first alumna to hold that position. Recognized with the Cultural Personality Medal by the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Culture (2011) and Cuba's National Culture Distinction (2012).
• Fabian Suarez: Screenwriting graduate. His short Kendo Monogatari won a Special Jury Mention at Clermont-Ferrand. His debut feature Horses (Caballos) screened at Frameline and was celebrated by Cinema Tropical as one of the most important Latin American films of the decade.

Acceptance Rate

The school admits 5 to 6 students per specialty, totaling approximately 40 to 48 students per cohort from a global applicant pool. No official acceptance rate is published. The school's admission decision is final and cannot be appealed. Fiction Directing and Documentary Directing receive the most applications per available seat, making them the most competitive tracks. The 2025-2028 course received applications through March 9, 2025.

Standout Faculty

EICTV's pedagogical model relies on visiting professionals rather than a permanent faculty. Approximately 300 active practitioners teach workshops throughout the program.

• Fernando Birri (1925-2017) - Co-founder. Argentine filmmaker considered the father of New Latin American Cinema. Directed Flooded Out (Los Inundados, 1962, Venice Film Festival selection). His "aprender haciendo" principle defines the school's curriculum.
• Gonzalo Murua Losada - Coordinator of the Documentary department (2024-2025). Argentine-Spanish director and editor. Founded Obsidiana Films. His films include Los Fantasmas de Losada (2015) and Las Voces de Pablo (2024). Currently teaches at TAI Madrid and previously taught at the University of Buenos Aires and Tec de Monterrey.
• Fabian Suarez - Guest professor in Screenwriting and Directing. EICTV graduate and Cuban National Playwriting Award winner. Co-wrote Los Lobos del Este (dir. Carlos Quintela) and Vicenta B. (dir. Carlos Lechuga). Berlinale Talent Campus alumnus.
• Diana El Jeiroudi - Visiting workshop leader (January 2025). Syrian filmmaker who led a two-week intensive workshop on Self-Referential Cinema at the Master's International Film Program.

Tuition / Aid Reality

Tuition is EUR 6,000 per year (EUR 18,000 total for the 3-year program). Payment schedule: 50% (EUR 3,000) by bank transfer before entry in September, 50% (EUR 3,000) at the start of the second semester.

Tuition covers: all theoretical and practical training, full room and board (individual accommodation on campus), basic and emergency medical services through Cuban public hospitals, academic services, and collective transport on designated days and routes. This tuition represents 30% of the actual cost per student. The Cuban state and the school cover the remaining 70%.

EICTV does not participate in US federal loan programs. The school does not advertise a comprehensive scholarship system, but some financial support may be available through the Foundation of New Latin American Cinema and partner organizations. Prospective students should inquire directly with the school about available support.

Facilities and Equipment

Students live on campus in San Antonio de los Banos for the full 3 years. The town is small and rural, approximately 50 km from Havana. Campus life is communal: students, visiting professors, and Cuban staff interact daily. This residential model is intentional, designed to create a cohesive generation of filmmakers who work collaboratively.

The school provides production equipment for coursework, including film and digital cameras, editing systems, and sound recording gear. Fujifilm has historically supplied film stock. The school's location in Cuba involves practical realities: limited internet access, restricted availability of certain equipment and supplies, and the economic conditions of the host country. Students should expect resource constraints that require creative problem-solving.

Student Film Examples

EICTV student films screen at major festivals and win prizes. Tiznao (2015), a fiction thesis film by Dominican director Andres Farias, won the Insula Prize at the Insularia Festival. At the 2019 Muestra Joven del ICAIC, EICTV productions won both Best Fiction (Fin) and Best Documentary (Los Viejos Heraldos). Gloria Eterna by Yimit Ramirez won Best Fiction at the 2017 Muestra Joven. The school's thesis films are evaluated publicly by an International Committee of professionals alongside the school's Academic Council.

What Filmmakers Should Know

EICTV teaches in Spanish. Applicants must have sufficient Spanish proficiency to participate in workshops, critique sessions, and collaborative projects. The school does not offer language training as part of the curriculum.

Students live on campus in San Antonio de los Banos for the full 3 years. The town is small and rural, approximately 50 km from Havana. Campus life is communal: students, visiting professors, and Cuban staff interact daily. This residential model is intentional, designed to create a cohesive generation of filmmakers who work collaboratively.

The school's pedagogical model relies on visiting professionals rather than a permanent faculty. Approximately 300 active practitioners teach workshops throughout the program, which means students learn from filmmakers currently working in the industry across multiple continents. This also means the quality of instruction varies by workshop and visiting professor.

EICTV is a non-governmental organization. While it is located in Cuba and benefits from Cuban state support, it is governed by the Foundation of New Latin American Cinema. Students should understand that the school's location in Cuba involves practical realities: limited internet access, restricted availability of certain equipment and supplies, and the economic conditions of the host country. The school does not grant a university degree in the traditional sense. Graduates receive a diploma and participate in a final thesis evaluation. The key trade-off: you get an immersive, residential, learn-by-doing education with 300 visiting professionals at a subsidized cost, but you live in rural Cuba for 3 years with limited connectivity and no formal university degree.

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See Also

For comparing film school ROI against self-taught paths, see Film School vs Self-Taught. To plan your thesis film budget, use the Budget Breakdown. For calculating return on investment for festival submissions, use the Festival ROI Calculator.