Venezuelan and Cuban films selected for Goya Awards

The Venezuelan Academy of Cinema has selected the film ‘El Pez que Fuma’ to represent the country in the Best Ibero-American Film category at the Goya Awards. Directed by Luis Fernández and starring Mimí Lazo, the production is a contemporary reimagining of Román Chalbaud’s classic work. The film utilizes meta-fiction to explore themes of desire, power, and the boundaries between reality and fiction, following an actress whose life begins to mirror the passionate drama she portrays on screen.

In Cuba, the film ‘Neurótica Anónima’, directed by Jorge Perugorría, is also entering the Goya Awards race. Based on a play by Mirtha Ibarra, the film addresses domestic abuse and the preservation of cinema culture. The story follows a woman who, after failing to achieve her dreams of acting, finds herself working as a cinema usher, living a life increasingly detached from reality.

Additionally, the Cuban animation short ‘Raptus’ by Ivette Ávila recently won the Best Animation Short Film award at The Americas Film Festival of New York (TAFFNY).