The panel "Poor Film Factory: Challenges and Results of the Path Traveled," held as part of the 20th International Poor Film Festival, brought together filmmakers to analyze the impact of this initiative on making cinema from eastern Cuba more visible.

The event's president, Sergio Benvenuto Solás, explained that the decision not to convene the Factory for this edition responds to a growth-oriented purpose, aimed at expanding possibilities for future editions. He emphasized that the initiative advocates for creating alternatives in this part of the island, where access to cooperation funds—which are concentrated in Havana—is more difficult. He acknowledged as a pending task the creation of a common fund, not only for Holguín but for the different cultural structures across the five eastern provinces.

Osmanys Sánchez Arañó, a documentary filmmaker from Santiago and winner of the first edition with his project Llave de paso, stated that the Factory transcends as a cultural endeavor because it seeks to make visible a region of the country that has always been subject to the dynamics and narratives of a cultural hegemony from the capital.

Filmmaker Ivette Ávila presented the difficult situation facing independent filmmakers, noting that funds accessible in Cuba are extremely scarce, given that institutions have increasingly reduced budgets allocated to subsidies, generating a critical situation.

Alexis Triana, president of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), announced new developments regarding the Cuban Film Promotion Fund. He specified that whatever is not built on management capacity will die sooner or later, and informed that the mechanism currently operates solely with state budget, making it essential to develop management capacity aimed at replenishing its coffers.

Triana added that ICAIC maintains three film sets in the country using batteries and solar panels, and highlighted that there are 75 registered independent production companies in Cuba, which constitute a source of pride for the institution. He also raised the need for the country's movie theaters to reopen through links with non-state chains and agreements with workers, in defense of the existence and utility of those buildings and their contribution to society.

The panel evidenced a consensus on the need to strengthen the Factory as a tool for decentralization and empowerment of eastern audiovisual production, in a context where independent creation and resource management stand as central challenges for Cuba's audiovisual sector.