There is no doubt about the determination of this great artist to dream, create, transform, and celebrate the beauty of Cuba and its culture. These qualities, and much more, define Jorge Perugorría, the 2024 National Film Prize laureate.

Alongside first actress Mirtha Ibarra, the Cuban filmmaker recently presented the film Neurótica Anónima at the 29th Málaga Film Festival in Spain, where he shared details about the production with members of the press and made clear his condemnation of the economic stranglehold imposed by the administration of Donald Trump on the Caribbean nation.

His remarks have resonated among Cuban artists, creators, and filmmakers who admire him both for his body of cinematic work and for his humanity.

Among them is Luis Ernesto Doñas, director of the feature film Baracoa, who regards Perugorría as an actor with a magnetism and an energy that few possess — someone capable of radiating both on screen and behind the camera.

Writing on his Facebook page, Doñas stated that "Pichi dreams and builds a better Cuba every day, as both an artist and a natural cultural promoter."

He noted that Perugorría lives in the collective memory of multiple generations of Cubans and Latin Americans, having built a solid career that extends well beyond national cinema, expressing his boundless creativity through directing and painting as well.

In Doñas's view, "he has never lost sight of the humble understanding that cinema is a collective and popular art form." He also highlighted that Perugorría was the first to rally a group of filmmakers to reach remote communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike along the coastal region of Gibara.

Doñas further referenced the artist's commitment to bringing a film and environmental event to the Isle of Youth, and noted that Perugorría has inherited, protected, and nurtured the dream of Humberto Solás — "a film festival poor in resources but rich in ideas."

"All of that artistic passion he has channeled into his most beautiful creation, which is his family," said the young filmmaker, adding that Perugorría "practices the cult of friendship as a rule of life."

Jorge Perugorría has always stood on the side of embrace and bridge-building, and Cuban cinema has grown alongside him, Doñas affirmed. He extended his best wishes to Perugorría and Mirtha Ibarra for "that declaration of love for cinema that is Neurótica Anónima."