Celebrating Cuban Cultural Day

PANAMA. Cuban Cultural Day is celebrated today in honor of October 20, 1868, date in which troops headed by Carlos Manuel de Cespedes liberated the city of Bayamo in Cuba and the local population tuned for the first time ever the National Anthem, “La Bayamesa”.

In commemoration of Cuban Cultural Day, SERTV, the Experimental Film Group of the University of Panama, the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry and the Cuban embassy have planned a series of special activities under the umbrella of the First Caribbean Film Festival, which started last Friday and will run until October 23 at the Via España Alhambra Movie Theaters.

Three Cuban films will be shown. “La vida es Silbar” (Life is whistling), a Fernando Perez comedy, will be screened at 5:00 p.m. Luis Alberto Garcia, renowned actor who stars in the movie, will be present at the theater to address the audience.

At 7:00 p.m. the Cuban ambassador, Carlos Garcia Trapaga, the director of the INAC, Mr. Anel Omar Rodriguez, and the director of SERTV, Mr. Carlos Aguilar will also speak.

Immediately after, the award-winning documentary “Yo soy, del son a la salsa” which narrates the history of salsa, and was directed by Rigoberto Lopez Pego, President of the Carribean Film Selection who will be present at the theater, during the screening.

At 9:00 p.m. a drama about racial discrimination also directed by Lopez Pego will be shown.

Movie tickets are $1.00. For more information: 507-1500.