The filmography of some 20 nations, from Central Asia to the Caribbean, will capture attention at the 20th International Poor Cinema Festival in Gibara, to be held in that eastern Cuban city from July 14 to 18.

In statements to ACN, organizing committee member Rafael Grillo explained that this geographic plurality — including titles from Iran, India, Palestine, Morocco, Curaçao, European nations, and a strong Latin American representation — "reaffirms the event's alternative and universal spirit."

The premiere of Mergen, by Chinguiz Narinov, winner of the Bishkek International Film Festival, will mark a milestone in the festival's history. In the fiction feature section, standout films include the Iranian entry Rainbow Stories, by Saleh Alavizadeh, addressing violence against children; the Indian film Feminist Fatima, by Fasil Muhammed, widely praised at festivals; the Moroccan Casablanca/Dakar, by Ahmed Boulane; as well as Mexican entries La Llamada, by Pablo A. Tonatiuh, and A Roof Without Sky, by Diego Hernández; and Venezuela's Espina, by Daniel Poler.

In the fiction short film category, works from Palestine, Iran, Curaçao, and Honduras will be shown, alongside pieces from Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and numerous Cuban filmmakers.

The documentary feature category includes the British Independent Candidate, by Teilo Vellacott; the French The Wanderer, by Benoit Maestre; the Brazilian When Girls Grow Up, by Neli Mombelli; the Spanish Lorca in Havana, by José Antonio Torres and Antonio Manuel; along with Cuban productions.

In the documentary short format, works from Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina will screen, as well as foreign perspectives on Cuba by U.S. filmmaker Charles Abelmann and Argentine Mauricio Centurión.

The animation section features proposals from Brazil, which leads the continent in this category with four entries, alongside animations from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Spain.

The International Poor Cinema Festival in Gibara was created in April 2003 by renowned Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solás as a platform to promote creativity, cultural justice, and low-budget cinema.