The Italian-Cuban coproduction "Baracoa", under the direction of Cuban filmmaker Luis Ernesto Doñas, has claimed two awards at the 41st edition of the Ibero-Latin American Film Festival in Trieste.
"Baracoa" was honored with both the Audience Award and the Best Screenplay Award in the Contemporary Film Competition, presented on Sunday at the Miela Cinema Theater in the Italian city. The screenplay was a collaborative effort between Doñas and Italian writer Filippo Ascion.
The festival, established in 1985 by the Association for the Promotion of Latin American Culture in Italy (APCLAI), is one of the oldest Latin American film events in Europe.
This film offers a blend of drama and comedy, set against the backdrop of a journey across Cuba. The narrative begins with the death of Felipe, an Italian revolutionary who became a Cuban citizen and was a former ally of Fidel Castro. His son, Pepe, who harbors homophobic prejudices and dreams of emigrating to Canada, embarks on a journey from Havana to Baracoa with a doctor named Jimmi, who transforms into the drag queen Estrellita by night. Along the way, their differences are explored, providing a portrait of contemporary Cuba.
The character of Felipe is portrayed by Giancarlo Giannini, an internationally renowned Italian actor who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for "Seven Beauties" (1977). The role is inspired by Gino Doné Paro, an Italian antifascist partisan and the only European to partake in the Granma yacht expedition in December 1956.
The cast also includes Carlos Luis González, Yadier Fernández, Carlos Pérez Peña, Ana Gloria Buduén, and Giovanni Giusto. The film's cinematography is by Lorenzo Casadio Vannucci CCS, accompanied by original music from Cuban soprano Bárbara Llanes.
Born in 1984, Doñas studied at the Higher Institute of Art in Havana and the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños. After working as an editing assistant at ICAIC, he developed an international career as an opera and theater director based in Rome, collaborating with the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.
"Baracoa" marks his debut as a feature film director. Doñas acknowledged that he had been away from filmmaking for years before returning to Cuba to shoot this movie.
The film's international journey began at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana in December 2025, where it received the collateral diversity award "Súmate."
In June 2026, "Baracoa" was featured out of competition at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, where Giancarlo Giannini was honored with a lifetime achievement award. Prior to Trieste, it was also showcased at the Lucca Film Festival in September.
The film's success comes amid a severe crisis in Cuban cinema, with power outages necessitating generators at the Havana Festival and forcing the relocation of the Gibara Low-Budget Film Festival from April to July 2026.
In this context, coproductions like "Baracoa" — shot in Cuba but structured and financed by Italy — provide a platform for Cuban talent to gain recognition in Europe.
This isn't the first time a Cuban film has triumphed in Trieste. In 2019, "Inocencia" by Alejandro Gil won awards for Best Ensemble Performance and Best Music at the same festival.
The Best Film in the Official Competition of this edition went to "Perros" by Uruguayan director Gerardo Minutti, while the Special Jury Award was given to "Ángeles" by Argentine Paula Markovitch, and Best Director was awarded to Lucía Puenzo for "Pepita, la pistolera."
FAQs about Baracoa's Success and Cuban Cinema
What awards did "Baracoa" win at the Trieste Film Festival?
"Baracoa" won the Audience Award and the Best Screenplay Award at the Trieste Film Festival.
Who is Giancarlo Giannini, and what role did he play in "Baracoa"?
Giancarlo Giannini is an internationally acclaimed Italian actor who portrayed the character of Felipe in "Baracoa," a role inspired by the Italian antifascist Gino Doné Paro.
What challenges is Cuban cinema currently facing?
Cuban cinema is facing challenges such as power outages, which have led to the use of generators at film festivals and the rescheduling of events like the Gibara Low-Budget Film Festival.