During an event at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Public Library, the head of the Jakarta Library and Archives Service, Nasruddin Djoko Surjono, highlighted the importance of the film showcase and the global significance of the revolutionary leader.

  Alongside the film screenings, a virtual photography exhibition featuring images of Fidel taken by Cuban photographers was presented, as well as a display showing the Cuban leader with Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, during the latter’s 1960 visit to Havana.

  Additionally, other audiovisual materials were shown, highlighting iconic moments in bilateral relations between Cuba and Indonesia, as well as further footage featuring Fidel.

  Addressing representatives of the diplomatic corps, Indonesian government and parliamentary officials, and local residents, Cuba’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Dagmar Gonzalez, emphasized that the Cuban statesman viewed art not as a privilege for the few, but as a genuine right of the people.

  She noted that his vision and initiative gave life to emblematic institutions of global reach, such as the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) and the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Banos.

  Regarding the selection of films for the festival, she pointed out that they reflect not only the identity and spirit of resistance of the Cuban people but also the legacy of a leader who deeply believed in the power of cinema to transform consciousness—even amidst the intensified blockade imposed by the United States against the Cuban people.

jdt/oda/ro