Cuban filmmaker wins award at Cannes World Film Festival

May 9, 2023

Young Cuban filmmaker Daniel Ross Diéguez won the best drama award at the March edition of the Cannes World Film Festival with his feature film "La espera".

The festival, which recognizes the best in independent cinema at a global level, presented the award to the young filmmaker from Guantánamo who made the production in that territory of the country.

"We won Best Drama at the Cannes World Film Festival, along with its gold statuette (Luciole d'Or)", wrote the filmmaker on social media, while sharing a photo in which he is seen with the award.

Likewise, he noted that this is his first feature film and explained that La espera is "a Guantánamo product made with my friends and local talent".

"Thanks to everyone who always supports me. I hope my contribution improves the lives of many", added Ross Diéguez along with the photographs.

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The filmmaker, originally from Guantánamo, created his first film locally, featuring actors, soundtrack, story and settings from the eastern Cuban province.

The young filmmaker had announced the nomination of his work to the festival. "Proudly!!! We are nominated for Best Drama at the 2023 Cannes World Film Festival", he had also said on Facebook at the beginning of this month.

"Out of more than 6100 films, we were selected among Semi-finalists, Finalists, 70 Official Selection down to just 2 Nominated films", he noted.

"The only and costly festival submission I could send has chosen the first Guantánamo feature fiction film. Thanks to everyone and let's celebrate Cuba", he concluded amid his joy.

La espera also premiered at the Yale Latino and Iberoamerican Film Festival, United States, on November 9, 2022.

Its filmmaker is a graduate of the Academy of Plastic Arts of Guantánamo and has self-taught audiovisual training.

Ross Diéguez founded in 2009 the independent production company Studio DaRoDe, with which he has made the feature film and has also been the director of documentaries such as "We Need to Be Heard (2010)" and "Everything Passes" (2017).