Step into the vibrant, resilient world of Cuban cinema this July, as The New Theatre proudly hosts this year’s three-day film festival celebrating the enduring artistry of the island nation.
From 24th to 26th July 2025, we invite you to explore the rich tapestry of Cuban storytelling, a testament to the creative spirit that thrives even under the weight of an ongoing embargo.
For over six decades, the United States has maintained a comprehensive economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba. While often framed in economic and diplomatic terms, this blockade has had a profound impact on the island’s artistic and cultural landscape. Access to essential equipment, distribution networks, and even basic materials for filmmaking has been severely curtailed, forcing Cuban artists to innovate, adapt, and rely on an extraordinary wellspring of internal talent and ingenuity.
Join us as we showcase a curated selection of films, highlighting Cuban artists’ continued accomplishments:
Friday July 25th 18:00 – Film Screening & Social
- On our opening night we’re delighted to host the Irish premiere of Cuban documentary, La Raiz Del Olivo / The Root of the Olive Tree (2024), which unveils the spirit, memory, and culture of the Palestinian people currently marooned in Cuba following the destruction of their homes following 7th October 2023.
Saturday July 26th 13:00 – Film Screening
- Ciudad En Rojo / City in Red (2009), based on the book of the same name, depicts some of the fiercest resistance to Batista dictatorship in Santiago de Cuba at the beginning of the revolution. The film’s narrative unfolds over 24 hours in the lives of several young members of the underground as they confront their own uncertainty about the morality of armed struggle and of severing bonds that had seemed unbreakable.
Saturday July 26th 14:30 – Solidarity Protest
- Please join us on the Ha’penny Bridge, Dublin for our annual demonstration in solidarity with the Cuban people.
Saturday July 26th 16:30 – Film Screening & Social
- El Mundo de Nelsito / The World Of Nelsito (2023) A car accident. The victim is Nelsito, a 16-year-old autistic teenager, who has runaway from home. From his stretcher and through his imaginary pen, Nelsito reveals the dark and hidden side of all those around him: perverse children, murderous women, adorable swindling girls… Until he recovers…
Sunday July 27th 14:00 – Film Screening
- Critically acclaimed and one of ‘the most sophisticated films ever to come out of Cuba’, Memories of Underdevelopment (1968) centres a Cuban man who cycles through his opinions and memories as the threat of foreign invasion intensifies and the rest of his family moves to Miami.
Friday July 25th – August 9th – Exhibition
- Upstairs in Connolly Books, we’ll be hosting an exhibition of Cuban Film Posters smuggled in from Havana for the festival, and available for purchase. Registered as a Documentary World Heritage by UNESCO, in recognition of the “great creative originality found in these posters, the graphic beauty and the communicative effectiveness of these documents.”
Through these screenings, discussions, and perhaps even a few mojitos, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of Cuba’s cultural wealth and the determination of its artists to share their stories with the world.
Book your tickets now through TheNewTheatre.com
Proceeds of the screenings will go towards medical aid and cultural support for Cuba.
Organised by the Dublin Branch of the Communist Party of Ireland. Supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba Ireland and the Cuban Institute of Art and Film Industry (ICAIC).
