The programming team has recorded 91 entries, 114 film screenings, and more than 16,000 attendees at the national screenings to date.

Furthermore, the provinces with the highest number of filmmakers in competition are Pinar del Rio (ten), Camaguey and Las Tunas (seven), Holguin (five), and Ciego de Avila (two), located in different regions of the country, ICAIC President Alexis Triana highlighted during the press conference.

Filmmaker Edgar Perez, a student at the Faculty of Audiovisual Media Arts of the University of the Arts, attended the event where he premiered his short film, “Saltwater”.

The film, which is in competition, tells a romantic summer story between two young people who meet on a beach, and its ending blends elements of contemporary and retro styles.

Alexis Triana congratulated the filmmaker on the premiere of “Saltwater,” revealing the possibility of developing future projects together and highlighting the high attendance at the screenings during this First National Film Showcase and Competition.

According to the president of ICAIC, Perez’s film is among the 18 fiction shorts in competition, which join 25 documentaries and 15 animated productions. The event will conclude this January with the Titon Awards ceremony.

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