Mexican Filmmaker Ángeles Cruz Arrives in Cuba to Share Her Art

The Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) and the Embassy of Mexico in Havana welcomed actress and filmmaker Ángeles Cruz, who will present her film Nudo Mixteco in the coming days.

Cruz has appeared in more than 20 feature films, including La hija del puma (1994), Tamara y la Catarina (2016), Dos Fridas (2018), and Familia (2023). She ventured into screenwriting and directing in 2012 with the short film La Tiricia o cómo curar la tristeza.

The Ñuu Savi producer opened the press conference by drawing a parallel between both nations' filmmaking traditions: "If there is one thing Mexico and Cuba have in common, it is that we make cinema with what we have and from wherever we can."

During the conference, Cruz — who also works as a screenwriter — shared the artistic perspective she has developed from her roots in the indigenous community of Villa Guadalupe Victoria, located in the Mixtec region of the state of Oaxaca, with a population of approximately 400 inhabitants.

In an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina, Cruz reflected on the inescapable influence of one's origins: "You cannot escape the context in which you are born and raised, because your perspective is shaped there — it is what you see, touch, and go through. For me, the essence of art lies in questioning yourself, digging deep to find what unsettles you about the world around you and how you can transform that into an artistic piece."

Her feature debut, Nudo Mixteco (2021), will be screened at the Charles Chaplin cinema in Havana on the 13th at 5:00 p.m. local time. Cruz explained that the project was initially conceived as three monologues about migration.

"I felt that those of us who emigrate, for whatever reason, find ourselves in a limbo — as if we cannot find our place; we are not from there, we are not from here, we no longer belong," she told the audience.

Cruz ultimately came to realize that her creation spoke to something more fundamental: the defense of the body as territory for the women of her community.

Eleonora Isunza, cultural attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Havana, praised Cruz's contributions to gender-focused filmmaking: "For me, Ángeles is an indispensable figure when discussing cinema from a gender perspective. She is a great warrior — one of those who creates with her heart and with this feminine strength of feeling."

The Ñuu Savi producer's agenda in the Cuban capital includes a panel discussion on Wednesday at the House of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema at 11:00 a.m. local time, as well as a visit to the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños.

A multifaceted creator, Cruz has received numerous accolades, including the Ariel Award for Best First Feature Film (2022), the Colón de Oro at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival (2023), the Best Director Award at the Havana Film Festival New York (2021), and the Audience Award at the International Film Festival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2021).