The Carpe Diem film club in the provincial capital is gaining more and more followers every day. Under the tutelage of Yury García Fatela, a group of film lovers, mostly young people, meet in the Titón hall or at the Tunas headquarters of the Asociación Hermanos Saíz (AHS by its acronym in Spanish), to enjoy and learn about the Seventh Art.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- "The film club normally takes place every two weeks, although now, in the summer (due to its importance and popularity), it is held every week. Apart from the recreational side of sharing a film among friends, the idea is to take advantage of the circumstances to favor, little by little, the concept and idea of the movie debate as such," commented Fatela.

Inspired by the Cinemazul Film Appreciation Festival, based in our province (which promotes the functioning of groups of this type), this confraternity interacts with similar groups in the Balcón de Oriente and includes the members of the El Manuscrito Perdido Project, the Plaza de Almas literary café and the Cucalambé literary workshop (initiatives led by Yury), as well as other interested parties.

The presentation of a film, screening, and analysis are the main threads of each day, and its creators try in every way possible to make it neither cold nor mechanical. We get them to watch a film," says Yury, "and from there, we develop the activity, but not in a schematic way, but in an informal way. For example, each person selects their proposal, we draw lots, and, depending on the result, we show one film a week.

"When a certain film comes out, the person who chose it prepares, presents it and, between all of us, we introduce technical elements. This has contributed to motivation, generating a movement of boys and girls who enjoy discussing them. That is what we are trying to do, to raise culture and also to educate - spiritually."

The leader says that they prioritize proposals based on literary works, which seduces the participants to approach the publications. A teacher by training, he has been a loyal participant in Cinemazul for a decade. This year he was the winner of the municipal chapter of the Ola Prize and will represent Las Tunas (along with the winners from the other territories) in the provincial event, scheduled for next October.

Rogert Gómez Ocano, who teaches Audiovisual Appreciation at the University of Las Tunas, is another strategic figure in the initiative. Speaking to 26, he said: "Currently, from a general point of view, the film industry is in crisis. The covid-19 pandemic has transformed the reality of cinemas where, as people no longer go to their institutions, consumption through digital networks has taken hold.

"In the university, for example, priority has been given to subject content, but not so much to cultural and extracurricular activities. On the other hand, bringing art to young people today becomes a challenge, as the ways of making, promoting, and consuming art must adapt to the new times. In this context, bringing together a group of young people (although the film club is also attended by people of other ages) who are interested in developing skills and improving themselves is something enriching, useful and necessary."

Rogert, who is also a member of the Cucalambé literary workshop, has been able to confirm the positive impact of the proposal on the members of the literary collective. Film narrative," he says, "contributes to their training as writers, as it broadens their creative and cultural horizons. Besides, we have a good time, the members of the group are very charismatic and their enthusiasm is contagious."

He recalls pleasantly how the film El Club de los Poetas Muertos (from which they chose the phrase that gives the film club its name) has remained in the collective memory and emphasizes, in conclusion: "The first thing is to awaken interest. We live in complex times in which young people sometimes don't know how to channel their emptiness and emotions, and this is a wise way to grow up. In addition, Carpe Diem is very much in tune with the Programme for the Promotion of Audiovisual Culture, established within Cuban cultural policy. Its importance is significant. We can't lose this."