Low Budget Film Festival Underway in Cuba

The Fourth International Low-Budget Film Festival (April 17-23) opened its doors on Monday in the northeastern Cuban coastal town of Gibara, its traditional venue.

The prestigious festival jury is headed by Renzo Rossellini, son of director Roberto Rossellini (1906-1977), founder of Italian neo-realism and a leading promoter of the new humanist movement that emerged in European cinematography following WWII.

Renzo, himself a film producer, is now heading an institution dedicated to spreading the work of his father, whose movies will be shown during the festival.

This is the fourth year that the Gibara festival brings together independent filmmakers from around the globe to show productions with a budget of less than 300,000 US dollars.

The festival is the brainchild of acclaimed Cuban director Humberto Solas, who will make the opening speech. The yearly event is considered an important alternative space for filmmakers from around the world.