Havana Film Festival From 3 December 2026 for Americans
CUBA · FILM FESTIVAL · TRAVEL GUIDE
Key Facts
- Dates 47th edition, Thursday 3 to Sunday 13 December 2026, Havana; venues and programme not yet published.
- US rule Tourism is banned; Americans may go only under one of 12 licence categories.
- Changed 30 Sep Group people-to-people tours and the general permit for professional meetings ended.
- Time Havana is one hour ahead of New York from 1 November to 14 March.
- Safety The State Department rates Cuba Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, citing crime and power cuts.
- Power Index Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (November 2026 edition).
The 47th Havana Film Festival, officially the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, runs from Thursday 3 December to Sunday 13 December 2026. It is Latin America’s best-known film showcase, and it is open to the Cuban public.
Americans can still go to Cuba, but not as tourists, and new US Treasury rules since 30 September have closed two common routes. This guide explains what a US citizen may do, how to attend and what to expect.
The Havana Film Festival at a Glance
The festival, run by Cuba’s state film institute ICAIC, held its first edition on 3 December 1979. Its top prizes are the Coral Awards, given for fiction features, first features, documentaries, short films and animation.
Entries were open from late May to 15 August 2026 and cover Latin American and Caribbean films finished in 2025 or 2026. Other sections include Otros Territorios for alternative storytelling and Arrecife for queer cinema.
The 2025 edition ran from 4 to 14 December with 114 productions, 30 posters and 30 screenplays, and about 283 screenings. Mexico was guest of honour, and the festival marked the 100th birthday of its founder, Alfredo Guevara.
Dates, Venues and Havana Time
The 2026 festival opens on Thursday 3 December and closes on Sunday 13 December. We found no published list of venues, screening times or an opening film as of 5 November.
Last year eight venues showed films: the cinemas 23 y 12, Charles Chaplin, Riviera, Yara, La Rampa, Acapulco and Infanta, plus the Glauber Rocha Foundation. Expect most screenings in the same central Havana cinemas, but wait for the official programme.
Cuba is keeping summer time until 7 November 2027, so from 1 November to 14 March Havana is one hour ahead of New York. A 7 pm screening in Havana is 6 pm Eastern and 3 pm Pacific.
How to Attend and Buy Tickets
At the 2023 edition the public bought single tickets and a festival pass in Cuban pesos, online through La Papeleta platform. The festival also runs a Casa del Festival office in the Vedado district, where the printed daily guide is sold.
The organisers have not yet published 2026 prices, sales points or accreditation rules for guests. Film professionals can ask the festival directly through its official website, habanafilmfestival.com.
US-issued cards do not work on the island, so online purchases may not be possible from abroad. Ask the festival how foreign guests can pay.
Power cuts can change schedules at short notice. Screenings may be moved or delayed, so check the posted programme each day.
What US Citizens May Do in Cuba in 2026
The US Treasury’s sanctions office, OFAC, regulates travel to Cuba by every US citizen and resident, wherever they live. The rules state that nothing in them authorises tourist travel.
A trip is legal only if it fits one of 12 categories, such as family visits, journalism, religious activities and support for the Cuban people. If the trip meets every condition of a general licence, no application is needed, and travellers must keep records for five years.
A Treasury rule that took effect on 30 September 2026 ended the general permission for group people-to-people educational tours. It also ended the general permission to attend or organise professional meetings and conferences in Cuba.
Travellers who had already bought a flight or a room for a people-to-people trip before 30 September may still go. Meetings are now considered only case by case, through a specific licence that OFAC must grant in writing.
The rule also bars indirect payments to businesses on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List, which targets firms linked to Cuba’s military and security services. It tightens educational travel so that most trips need a US sponsoring organisation whose representative travels with the group.
Can an American Attend a Film Festival in Cuba?
OFAC’s rules do not mention film festivals, so there is no ready-made category for a spectator. Whether a trip qualifies depends on which category the traveller truly fits and can document.
The category most independent travellers use is support for the Cuban people. It requires a full-time schedule of activities that strengthen contact with Cubans, with no more free time than a full working schedule allows.
Staying in a private guesthouse, eating at private restaurants and shopping at stores run by self-employed Cubans count as qualifying activity. On their own they are not enough, so festival screenings alone do not fill the schedule.
Film professionals have other routes, but each has conditions. OFAC’s rules on public performances, workshops and exhibitions need checking, and attending festival industry meetings no longer has a general permission.
Journalists may travel under the journalism category if they work regularly in journalism. Anyone unsure should ask OFAC or a sanctions lawyer, because travel without the right licence is illegal and can lead to penalties and prosecution.
Money, Hotels and the Prohibited Lists
The State Department says US credit and debit cards do not work in Cuba. Bring US dollars or euros and exchange them at authorised banks, exchange offices, airports or hotels.
Cuba requires travellers to declare cash above the equivalent of US$5,000. US rules also bar bringing alcohol or tobacco bought in Cuba back into the United States.
Americans may not stay at hotels on the State Department’s Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List. Check hotels, tour operators and shops against it and against the Cuba Restricted List before you pay.
Private guesthouses, called casas particulares, are usually the safer choice for compliance. Keep receipts and notes for every day of the trip.
Getting to Havana From the US
Cuban-registered airlines offer no direct commercial service to the United States, so US travellers fly on US or third-country carriers. Airline tickets from the US normally include the Cuban health insurance that is required for entry.
Jet fuel was unavailable at Cuba’s ten main airports, Havana included, under notices that ran to 1 November, and Cuba has extended them repeatedly. Flights from Florida carry fuel for the return, so confirm your schedule with the airline and read our report on Cuba’s jet fuel notices.
Your passport must be valid for six months at entry, with two blank pages. Check the Cuban embassy’s website for the current visa requirement, because the State Department refers travellers there.
Power Cuts, Crime and Safety
The State Department rates Cuba Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, in an advisory last reissued on 7 May 2025. It warns of petty theft and says violent crime, including armed robbery, is rising.
Havana sees scheduled and unscheduled power cuts of up to 12 hours a day, and cuts outside the capital can be longer. Generators may fail because fuel is scarce, so carry a torch, a power bank and enough cash.
Cuba has had at least eight total grid collapses this year, and it has just lost one of its two Turkish power ships. Our report on the power ship leaving Havana explains why the lights keep going out.
US embassy staff must follow a special notification process to travel outside Havana, which can slow help in an emergency. Peaceful assembly and free speech are not protected in Cuba, so avoid protests.
What It Means for You
If you are a US citizen, pick your OFAC category before you book anything, and do not rely on the festival alone. If you hold a British or German passport, a visit to Cuba since 12 January 2021 generally means you can no longer use ESTA.
The festival will not be cancelled by US rules, but your trip can be refused or penalised if you cannot show a lawful purpose. Read our full guide to US travel rules for Cuba and our explainer on Cuba-US tensions before you decide.
What Is Not Known
The 2026 venues, screening times, opening film, guest country, ticket prices and accreditation rules have not been published as of 5 November. We will update this guide when the festival releases its programme.
It is also not clear whether Washington will cut further travel categories or add more hotels and companies to its lists. Our guide to Cuba’s culture and key figures gives the wider picture of Cuban film and the arts.
More: Cuba news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the 47th Havana Film Festival?
The 47th Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano runs from Thursday 3 December to Sunday 13 December 2026 in Havana. The venues and programme have not yet been published.
Can Americans attend the Havana Film Festival?
Only if the trip fits one of the 12 OFAC categories, such as support for the Cuban people or journalism. Tourism is banned, and a festival alone is not a listed category.
What changed for US travel to Cuba on 30 September 2026?
A Treasury rule ended group people-to-people tours and the general permission for professional meetings. It also banned indirect payments to businesses on the Cuba Restricted List.
How do I buy Havana Film Festival tickets?
In recent years tickets and passes were sold in Cuban pesos online through La Papeleta and at the cinemas. The 2026 sales details have not been announced.
Is it safe for Americans to visit Cuba in December 2026?
The State Department rates Cuba Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of crime and unreliable power. Power cuts last up to 12 hours a day in Havana.
Sources: Federal Register, Cuban Assets Control Regulations final rule, 30 September 2026; US Treasury (OFAC), Cuba sanctions FAQs, read 5 November 2026; 31 CFR 515.567, public performances, clinics, workshops, competitions and exhibitions; 31 CFR 515.574, support for the Cuban people; US State Department, Cuba travel advisory, reissued 7 May 2025; US State Department, Cuba country information; US State Department, Cuba Restricted List; US State Department, Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List; US Customs and Border Protection, Visa Waiver Program and Cuba travel; Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, official call for entries and regulation, May 2026; Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines, summer time decision, 24 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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