On the first day, the feature film “Habanastation,” the first motion picture by Cuban moviemaker Ian Padrón, and starring child actors from the children’s theater company La Colmenita, was screened at the Cuban Embassy in Beijing.
Thirty-eight students and seven teachers from the China-Cuba Friendship Primary School and the Beijing No.109 Middle School attended the screening. The latter was recognized for its 12 levels of Spanish language instruction.
In his opening speech, Mario Alzugaray, deputy head of the diplomatic mission, explained to the students the historical significance of October 20 as Cuba’s Culture Day, and highlighted the Cuba’s cultural wealth.
The diplomat encouraged Chinese children to take an interest in Cuban cinema to learn more about Cuban society and reality.
Alzugaray recalled that “Habanastation” has been described by UNICEF (United Nations Children Fund) as “an ode to friendship and solidarity,” humanistic, objective, and hopeful.
The film shows the potentialities of children and adolescents to influence older people’s attitudes, that is, to “change the world.”
As part of the exhibition, the historic drama “Inocencia” (Innocence), by renowned filmaker Alejandro Gil, will be screened on Friday, October 13.
Representatives of the cultural sector and Spanish language students at all levels will attend the event.
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