Diana Vargas during the inauguration of the 20th anniversary of Havana Film Festival New York. Photo Javier Castaño
By Diana Vargas, artistic director of HFFNY.
In these 20 years of the Havana Film Festival NY and the 19 in which I have been part of this Latin American movie caravan that comes to NY every spring, we have lived as a kind of a traveler whose itinerary is always subject to changes. Every year, we take this journey accompanied by admirable, unpredictable and uncomfortable characters and plots, in which we know will lose ourselves and rediscover our own setbacks and amazements. For their creativity and passion, I am always grateful to their creators: the screenwriters, cinematographers, actors, producers, directors, musicians, distributors.
This year, we wanted to pay homage to the Cuban Fernando Pérez, who, like the authentic traveler he is, has never been afraid of getting lost; showing us new, unmapped territories where his characters, from Clandestinos up to Insumisas, have proven to be dear travel companions. Thank you, Fernando, my friend and ally. You do not need and ever will need a visa. You are already here. We dedicate this festival to you.
To Carole Rosenberg, thank you for giving me this ticket with many layovers. For your constancy and the wisdom to travel without labels. You, Carole, who as a truthful New Yorker has shown me how to understand that the world is and always will be made better by the mixing of cultures.
Diana Vargas, artistic director of HFFNY
