The Urgent Cinema of Santiago Alvarez – A Tribute
Sunday April 19

“…handling it, touching it, is how I make a film, shot by shot, sequence by sequence. That way, I make sure I do not forget to mention good things.” Santiago Álvarez

Born in Havana Santiago Alvarez (1919-1998), known for his innovative genius, was an influential figure in the development of Cuban cinema. Even after his death, he remains the country's preeminent documentary filmmaker. In his honor, the International Festival of Documentaries Santiago Álvarez in Memoriam is held each year in Santiago de Cuba. He died in Havana on May 20, 1998.

Tribute films: Now (1965), LBJ (1968), Hanoi, Tuesday 13th (1967), 79 Primaveras / 79 Springtimes (1969)

Remembering Humberto Solas: 1941 – 2008
Thursday April 16 & Friday April 17

Humberto Solas made his debut in the decade of the sixties of the past century when he became of the founders New Latin American Cinema. It is in this period that he films "Lucía", which is regarded by world critics as one of the ten most important movies in the history of Iberia-American cinema, as well as one of the ten anthological movies of Third World cinema. His general work reflects a humanism that deals with the search for a national and Latin American identity related to the ideals of peace, harmony and social justice. In his last and polemic film "Honey for Oshún", he speaks out for the union of all Cubans regardless of races, beliefs and political differences. He received awards in numerous International Festivals (San Sebastián, Huelva, Cartagena, Moscow, Milan, FIPA International, Toronto, Montreal, the New Latin American Festival of Havana, Barcelona and Cádiz, Spain). His film ¨A successful man¨ was the first Cuban film to be nominated for the Oscar to the Best Foreign Movie. The short Adela was the last film he directed.

Tribute films: Adela (2005), Un Hombre De Éxito (1986)

Stranger Than Fiction: A Tribute to Luis Ospina
Saturday April 18 & Sunday April 19

The Colombian-born director, editor, screenwriter, and producer was born on June 14, 1949. He was part of the Cali collective which included Carlos Mayolo and other Cali artists who in the seventies founded the Cine Club de Cali and the magazine Ojo al cine. He has directed two feature fiction films: Pura Sangre (1982) and Soplo de Vida (1999) and has made over 30 short films and documentaries. These include Vampires of Poverty (1977), a critique of “misery-porn” documentaries, which he co-directed with Carlos Mayolo; and The Supreme Uneasiness: Incessant Portrait of Fernando Vallejo (2003), a documentary on the life and times of the controversial Colombian author. Ospina has also been a writer for magazines like El mal pensante and Kinetoscopio. He authored the book Palabras al viento, Mis sobras completas (2007), an anthology of his writing on films. His most recent film, Un tigre de papel (2007), a mixed of documentary and fictional cinematic styles, has been awarded in Miami, Tolouse and Havana Film Festivals. Ospina’s films have received awards from internationally recognized film festivals, including Oberhausen, Cadiz, Toulouse, Bilbao, Sitges, Havana, Biarritz, Miami, Caracas, Bogota and Cartagena.

Tribute films: Tigre De Papel / A Paper Tiger (2007), Pura Sangre (1982), Agarrando Pueblo / The Vampires Of Poverty (1978), La Desazón Suprema: Retrato Incesante de Fernando Vallejo / The Supreme Uneasiness: Incessant Portrait of Fernando Vallejo (2003)