The music of Desde la aldea, which traditionally accompanies the Festival's spot, put the hall in a state of alert, the kind that announces the arrival of what is expected.
The Balada a Elpidio Valdés (Ballad to Elpidio Valdés), from Alejandro Falcón's piano, and an audiovisual presentation on the restoration of the character created by Juan Padrón -one of the great fathers of the region's cinematography- by the Colombian Film Heritage Foundation, gave way on stage to the outstanding saxophonist César López; quenist Rodrigo Sosa, with his trio, and the orchestra of the Lyceum of Havana. They performed, first separately, beautiful melodies, and then together a great collage of Latin American themes, accompanied on percussion by Armando Osuna, in a magical journey through continental music.
"Here we are", said Tania Delgado, director of the Festival, when she addressed the auditorium, to officially inaugurate the event, and a loud applause interrupted her voice, knowing that the festival is celebrated when the country overcomes immense difficulties, such as the one experienced on the previous day. "Here we are, as a proof of the value and duty of culture when it needs to rise above the difficulties, and offer encouragement and hope, and the possibility of rediscovering the best of ourselves.".ñ
He referred to the reality that Cuba has been facing for decades: an economic, commercial and cultural war that seeks to stop us, to make us go backwards, to blur our history and our identity. Many of our countries can write a similar story," he stressed, and denounced the genocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people.
Other tributes included the presentation by Delgado and Alexis Triana, president of Icaic, of the Coral of Honor to Carol Rosenberg, founder of the Havana Film Festival of New York; as well as the presentation of a moving piece by Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi, entitled Write my name. Those present enjoyed the Argentine film Los domingos mueren más personas, by director Lair Said, who thanked the Festival for the deference of screening the film for the opening of the great event.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Marydé Fernández, Vice Chief of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee of the Party; the Vice Prime Minister, Inés María Chapman, and Alpidio Alonso, Minister of Culture.
