A Festival with Purpose
Each March, Cuba’s second city, Santiago de Cuba, becomes the stage for one of the most meaningful film gatherings in the world: the Santiago Álvarez Memorial International Documentary Festival (Fidsa). It is a celebration of cinema with a conscience, honoring the memory of Santiago Álvarez (1919–1998)—a visionary Cuban filmmaker, founding member of ICAIC (Cuban Film Institute), and a pioneer of montage techniques that many believe inspired the modern music video.
Álvarez used film not as entertainment alone, but as a weapon of truth, documenting struggles, injustices, and realities that mainstream media often ignored. His legacy lives on through this festival, which continues to give voice to independent filmmakers, artists, and ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
The 22nd Edition – A Global Stage in Santiago
In March 2025, the 22nd edition of the festival gathered filmmakers and audiences in Santiago de Cuba, while screenings also reached Havana’s Charles Chaplin Cinema. Out of 159 submitted works, 37 made it into competition, with 30 international filmmakers joining Cuban voices to present stories that confront global challenges head-on.
The festival’s president, Osain Álvarez, emphasized the documentary’s role in times of crisis: as a tool against disinformation, as a chronicle of peoples’ histories, and as a stage for those without voices. It is here that cinema becomes more than art—it becomes testimony.
Among the screenings was La Raíz del Olivo (The Root of the Olive Tree), a Bolivian-Cuban film presented in solidarity with the Palestinian people—just one example of how this festival goes beyond film to embody international solidarity.
Where Young Voices Find Their Place
This event is not only for seasoned directors. It has become a vibrant platform for young filmmakers, offering a space to experiment with narrative, style, and technology while carrying forward Álvarez’s spirit. The festival also continues to showcase the Latin American ICAIC Newsreel, directed by Santiago Álvarez himself, which is recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Watching these reels in Santiago feels like stepping into history itself.
Cigars and Cinema – My Personal Ritual
For me, there is no better way to reflect on the weight of these stories than with a good cigar. During afternoon screenings, when the halls empty into the courtyards and discussions spill into the warm air, I often carry a Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro. Smooth, complex, with a quiet elegance, it matches the contemplative nature of documentary cinema—a smoke to ponder with.
But in the evenings, after the screenings give way to music and conversation in Santiago’s lively streets, I reach for something bolder: the Montecristo Double Edmundo. Its rich, full-bodied flavor suits the passion of debates about art, politics, and truth that carry on long into the night. With a glass of Santiago rum at hand, the cigar becomes part of the dialogue itself, a companion to thought and camaraderie.
If you join us, make time to stop at our cigar shop before or on your way to the festival. Whether you choose a Robaina, a Montecristo, or another classic like the Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill, your cigar will frame your experience—just as much as the films you’ll see.
Travel and Access
Through trusted third parties, we can arrange travel, accommodations, and guided tours for those attending. For cinephiles and cigar lovers alike, we offer curated itineraries that combine screenings with visits to factories and fields—an immersion into two of Cuba’s greatest crafts: cinema and tobacco.
An Invitation to Witness
The Santiago Álvarez Memorial International Documentary Festival is more than a competition. It is a call to see the world differently, to listen to unheard voices, to reflect on truths often hidden.
So whether you plan to attend this March or are preparing for the next edition, I invite you to walk the streets of Santiago, step into its theaters, and sit among audiences who come not just to watch, but to understand. And when the lights fade and the projector stops, light your cigar, let the smoke rise into the night air, and carry the stories with you—because in Cuba, film, rhythm, and tobacco are never just culture. They are life itself.
