Palmerston North, October 3, 2025 – The city of Palmerston North celebrated the opening of the 23rd Latin American Film Festival, an event that each year brings to New Zealand audiences the cultural richness, diversity, and artistic sensitivity of Latin America.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Cuba to New Zealand, Luis Ernesto Morejón Rodríguez, who highlighted the significance of beginning this edition with the screening of El Mundo de Nelsito (2022), by acclaimed Cuban filmmaker Fernando Pérez. In his remarks, the Ambassador emphasized that Pérez’s work, marked by poetic imagery and profound humanity, “transcends cultural boundaries and reaffirms the power of art to transform and connect.”
The festival’s opening coincided with the celebration of Cuba’s National Culture Day (October 20), the date when the Bayamo Anthem was first sung in 1868. The Ambassador underscored the importance of linking this commemoration with the screening of a film that pays tribute to the identity, creativity, and universal vocation of Cuban art.
In his address, the Cuban diplomat expressed special thanks to Mayor Grant Smith, Ambassador of the European Union Lawrence Meredith, and High Commissioner of South Africa Johnny Sexwale for their presence at the event.
The Latin American Film Festival, which has become a cultural reference point in New Zealand, offers over several weeks a selection of films that invite audiences to discover and enjoy the many voices of the continent. The 23rd edition reaffirms Palmerston North as a privileged meeting place between Latin America and New Zealand through the art of cinema.