25 Years Building Cultural Bridges
Dear Friends, Donors, and Supporters,
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on a year marked by challenges, new adventures, and a renewed, fierce commitment to our mission:building cultural bridges and fostering meaningful cultural exchange between the United States, Cuba, and Latin America.
This year also marked a major milestone: the 25th Anniversary of The American Friends of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba (AFLFC). It has been a year filled with pride, gratitude, and purpose—and none of it would be possible without your continued belief in the power of art, cinema, and dialogue to connect communities across borders.
👉 Today, we ask you to support AFLFC with a meaningful donation.
As we celebrate 25 years of impact, your financial contribution is essential to sustaining and expanding our programs. Your donation directly supports artists, filmmakers, and cultural professionals, making possible international cultural exchanges, film festivals, exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public conversations that foster dialogue, understanding, and creative freedom. With your help, we can ensure that these vital voices continue to reach audiences in New York and across the United States.
CUBAN ART UNBOUND
For the first time, more than 20 of Cuba’s most acclaimed contemporary artists came together in one exhibition, presenting over 60 works across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and new media. Cuban Art Unbound offers a multilayered view of Cuba’s creative landscape, exploring themes of identity, resilience, and memory across generations.
📍 On view at Victor Gallery, since November 13, 2025 until January 3, 2026
2025 at a Glance
Cultural Exchange Trips to Cuba
AFLFC continued its signature curated cultural exchange trips to Cuba, offering rare, behind-the-scenes access to the island’s vibrant artistic ecosystem. In close collaboration with the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, local artists, and cultural institutions, we design truly one-of-a-kind experiences.
In 2025, we led American and international travelers on an immersive journey that included insider access to the 40th Havana Jazz Festival, the 15th Havana Art Biennial, and the 30th Anniversary of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. We also customized individual research and professional trips for U.S.-based artists and museum curators interested in developing portfolios, collaborating with Cuban peers, and conducting in-depth cultural research.
25 Years of the Havana Film Festival New York
From April 3–10, 2025, we proudly presented the 25th edition of the Havana Film Festival New York (HFFNY), showcasing more than 35 films from Cuba, Latin America, and the diaspora—features, documentaries, shorts, and restored classics that reflect the diversity and vitality of Latin American cinema.
Now recognized as New York’s longest-running Latino film festival, HFFNY commemorated its 25th anniversary with two special programs:
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Sur-Real: Fantasy & Vision in Iberoamerican Cinema, presented in partnership with the Salvador Dalí Research Center
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Honoring Latin Rhythms on Screen: From Son to Reggaeton, featured as part of Carnegie Hall’s Nuestro Sonidos Festival, exploring Latin America’s musical legacy from tango and Cuban son to reggaeton and rock en español
Both programs were enriched with post-screening conversations with filmmakers, scholars, and musicians.
HFFNY in Central America
Our Artistic Director, Diana Vargas, was invited as an advisor to the Ícaro International Film Festival in Guatemala, mentoring 30 projects in development. HFFNY awarded festival-strategy guidance to K’wart (Bolivia) and El juego de la muerte(Uruguay). We look forward to following these powerful stories as they continue their journey.
Havana Night Benefit Fiesta
- AFLFC 25th Anniversary
On November 13, 2025, AFLFC celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a vibrant Havana Night Benefit Fiesta, bringing together artists, supporters, and community members for an unforgettable evening of music, art, and shared purpose. The celebration featured a lively performance by award-winning bandleader Gerardo Contino and coincided with the opening of Cuban Art Unbound
We are deeply grateful to the guests, volunteers, vendors, and artists whose generosity transformed a New York City gallery into a joyful celebration in support of our mission.
Your Impact: How your donation Helps
👉 Make a Donation | Support Cultural Exchange | Invest in Artists
All donations under $100 — Creative Ally
Every gift makes a difference. Supports day-to-day operations and helps keep programs accessible to artists and audiences alike.
$100+ — Arts Advocate
Provides essential support for exhibitions, screenings, and public programs that elevate artistic voices.
$250+ — Community Supporter
Helps expand audience engagement and strengthens connections between artists, filmmakers, and the public.
$500+ — Cultural Access Supporter
Helps provide free or low-cost access to screenings, exhibitions, and public programs for diverse New York audiences.
$1,000+ — Artist Champion
Supports artist participation in exhibitions, panels, and post-screening conversations.
$2,500+ — Cultural Bridge Builder
Contributes to educational programs, artist talks, and community outreach initiatives.
$5,000+ — Program Sustainer
Helps fund core programs such as the Havana Film Festival New York, Cuban Art Unbound Itinerant, and cultural exchange initiatives.
$10,000+ — Cultural Ambassador
Supports cultural exchange to U.S., enabling artists, filmmakers, and curators to collaborate, travel, and conduct research.
$25,000+ — Legacy Supporter
Invests in the long-term sustainability of AFLFC’s mission, ensuring cultural dialogue and artistic exchange for generations to come.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we prepare for the year ahead, we are excited to announce that Havana Film Festival New York 2026 will focus on three major thematic programs:
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Beyond Borders:
Jewish Lives in Latin American and Spanish Cinemas -
Exploring Jewish identities, memory, exile, assimilation, and belonging through cinema from Latin America and Spain.
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The Latin Beat
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A celebration of rhythm and music on screen—from flamenco and cumbia to salsa, Cuban son, tango, and beyond.
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An Homage to EICTV (San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba)
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Celebrating 40 years of the International School of Film and Television, whose alumni and faculty have shaped contemporary Latin American cinema.
Thank You!
Every donation—no matter the amount—moves our mission forward.
AFLFC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Thank you for standing with us for 25 years—and for helping us imagine the next 25.
With gratitude,
Carole Rosenberg
AFLFC President