Havana Film Festival NY Celebrates 25 Years with 2025 Lineup
HFFNY rolls out the red carpet at the iconic DGA Theater on Thursday, April 3, at 6 pm, to officially welcome the directors and 45 films that will be part of the festival
By: Josh Sharpe Mar. 17, 2025
Havana Film Festival NY, a project of The American Friends of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba (AFLFC), the Oldest Latino Film Festival in NYC marks 25 years of storytelling. HFFNY 2025 will run from April 3-10, featuring over 35 award-winning films from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Spain, Venezuela, and Latino-Americans, many in their World, US, and NY premieres; accompanied by panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and other special events hosted by leading figures in Latin American cinema. More than 20 filmmakers will be coming to New York to participate in the festival. All foreign films are English subtitled.
This year's Festival promises a captivating array of narratives designed to stimulate minds and spark meaningful discussions. Offering tales of suspense, adventure, social justice, musical expression, and love, the films featured have garnered acclaim on the global festival circuit, earning prestigious accolades.
HFFNY rolls out the red carpet at the iconic DGA Theater on Thursday, April 3, at 6 pm, to officially welcome the directors and 45 films that will be part of the festival, with the NY premiere of Fenómenos Naturales (Natural Phenomena), the award-winning movie by scriptwriter and director Marcos Diaz Sosa (Cuba-Spain). This Cuban riff on The Wizard of Oz from director Marcos Díaz Sosa, adapted from his short film, is a whimsical yet heartfelt story of a young woman seeking the best for her family and learning that a certain maxim is often true: there is no place like home. Actor Reinier Diaz will be present for a Q&A session. After the screening on opening night, a spectacular fiesta celebrating the 25 years of HFFNY will be held at the new Copacabana.
The program continues the next day at one of the most beloved arthouses of the city, the Quad Cinema, Friday, April 4, at 2:00 pm with the special presentation of Buscando a Casal, the last feature Afro-Cuban filmmaker Jorge Luis Sanchez, who passed away recently. The festival ends on Thursday, April 10, at 6:30 and 8:30 pm with the New York premiere of Malecón by Carlos Larrazabal about Elvis, a young man that in a desperate attempt to raise money for his escape, starts working for Sebastian, and quickly becomes his right hand. As Elvis gets sucked in Havana’s underworld and hustles to save money, he also struggles to protect what he cares more about: Yuli’s love and Martin’s friendship.
Sur-Real: Fantasy & Vision in Ibero-American Cinema, a program inspired by Glauber Rocha’s "Sur-Realismo," will celebrate filmmakers who blur the lines between reality, dreams, and politics. Showcasing pioneers like Luis Buñuel (The Exterminating Angel) and Glauber Rocha (Black God, White Devil), alongside contemporary voices like Pablo Berger (Blancanieves), it highlights how Ibero-American cinema fuses the fantastical with social and historical complexities. The program includes screenings of two iconic short films—Salvador Dalí’s Un Chien Andalou and Álvaro Cepeda Zamudio & Gabriel García Márquez La Langosta Azul—followed by a panel discussion with Professor Ana María Hernández on April 5, 1:00 PM. This program will be free of charge.
HFFNY is proud to be a partner of Carnegie Hall’s prestigious Nuestros Sonidos Festival that celebrates the diversity of creative voices in the Latino world. With a program titled Honoring Latin Rhythms on Screen: From Son to Reggaeton; a cinematic showcase that dives into the diverse musical expressions across Latin America: from Tango to Cuban Son, Reggaeton, Rock en Español, and Mexican Country. This program includes documentaries, narrative features, shorts, film premieres, and beloved classics newly remastered.
Narrative Features – New York Premieres
- YO VI TRES LUCES NEGRAS | I SAW THREE BLACK LIGHTS - NY Premiere
Santiago Lozano| Colombia-Mexico-France-Germany | Fiction | 2024 |87 min
- RAIZ | THROUGH ROCKS AND CLOUDS - NY Premiere
Franco Garcia Becerra | Peru-Chile | Fiction | 2024 |83 min
- DESPIERTA MAMA - NY Premiere
Arianne Benedetti | Panama | Fiction | 2024 | 99 min
Antonella Sudasassi | Costa Rica-Spain | Fiction | 2024 | 90 min
Tania Hermida | Ecuador-Cuba | Fiction | 2024 | 92 min
- CULPA CERO | NO GUILT - NY Premiere
Valeria Bertuccelli, Mora Elizalde | Argentina-Spain | Fiction | 2024 | 101 min
- LINDA - NY Premiere
Mariana Wainstein| Argentina-Spain | Fiction | 2024 | 100 min
- MATRIOSHKA - NY Premiere
Jorge Forero | Colombia - | Fiction | 2024 | 88 min
Documentaries – Premieres
- ¡QUBA! - World Premiere
Kim Anno | U.S. | Documentary | 2025 | 70 min
- LIFE IS DANCE/ LA VIDA ES BAILAR - World Premiere
Eirene Houston | Scotland-Cuba | Documentary | 2024 | 80 min
Lola Arias | Argentina-Switzerland | Documentary | 2024 | 80 min
- EL HUARO - U.S. Premiere
Patricia Wiesse Risso | Peru | Documentary | 2024 | 84 min
- LA TIERRA DE LA BALLENA - NY Premiere
Armando Capó | Cuba | Documentary | 2024 | 78 min
- PRODIGAL DAUGHTER - NY Premiere
Mabel Valdiviezo | U.S. | Documentary | 2024 | 85 min
Monica taboada | Colombia | Documentary | 2024 | 87 min
Videos