Cuban Screenwriter Eliseo Altunaga Dies at 85

Cuban screenwriter, novelist and professor Eliseo Altunaga Barreras died in Madrid on 5 August at the age of 85. The Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) announced his passing, noting his pivotal role in Latin American cinema.

Altunaga, born in Camagüey in 1941, taught for decades at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños, shaping generations of filmmakers across the Ibero‑American world. He consulted on acclaimed films such as Pablo Larraín’s "Tony Manero" and "No", Andrés Wood’s "Machuca", and Sebastián Lelio’s Oscar‑winning "Una mujer fantástica". His own literary work includes novels, short‑story collections and essays exploring Cuban memory and identity.