The INSTAR Film Festival has established itself as one of the most important spaces for the screening of international independent cinema, with a special emphasis on works that challenge authoritarian contexts or come from diasporas. Organized by the Hannah Arendt Institute of Artivism (INSTAR), this annual event has become a haven for filmmakers seeking to explore taboo subjects and risky aesthetic proposals, while promoting dialogue around freedom of creation and expression. 

In its fifth edition, to be held from October 28 to November 3, 2024, the festival expands its transnational reach with simultaneous screenings in cities such as Barcelona, Berkeley, Madrid, Munich and Paris. In Cuba, most of the films will be available online through the Festhome platform, allowing access to a wider audience within the island. 

This year, the new section “Cuban Cinema Panorama” will be one of the main attractions of the festival, highlighting a selection of the most relevant titles of recent Cuban audiovisual and its diaspora. Here are some of the Cuban films that will be part of this exhibition: 

Ángela (2018) Director: Juan Pablo Daranas Molina

Roads of Lava (2023) Director: Gretel Marín Palacio

Nighthouse (2016) Director: Marcel Beltrán

Four Holes (2023) Director: Daniela Muñoz Barroso

The Right to Be Lazy (2023) Director: Ixchel Marina Casado

The Broken Space (2024) Directors: Gabriel Alemán y Eduardo Eimil

Hapi Berdey Yusimí in Yur Dey (2020) Director: Ana A. Alpízar

Havana Stories [La Operación Payret] (2023) Director: Eliecer Jiménez Almeida

Fito’s Havana (2023) Director: Juan Pin Vilar

The Repeating Island (2022) Director: Eliecer Jiménez Almeida

Calls from Moscow (2023) Director: Luis Alejandro Yero

Wild Woman (2023) Director: Alán González

Mafifa (2021) Director: Daniela Muñoz Barroso

NOW! (2016) Director: Eliecer Jiménez Almeida

Persona (2014) Director: Eliecer Jiménez Almeida

Tartessos Dune (2023) Director: Josué G. Gómez

Tundra (2021) Director: José Luis Aparicio Ferrera

The INSTAR Film Festival's selection of films not only showcases Cuban talent, but also highlights the diverse voices emerging from both the island and its diaspora. Together, these works allow us to reflect on identity, migration, social challenges and personal struggles, presenting audiences with a rich and diverse range of perspectives.