The inaugural International Festival of New Latin American Cinema was held on December 3, 1979. More than 600 film directors of
Latin America responded to the first call made by the
Cuban Institute of the Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC). Its founders included ICAIC president Alfredo Guevara, and the filmmakers
Julio García Espinosa and
Pastor Vega. As expressed in its founding convocation, the festival aimed to "promote the regular meeting of Latin American filmmakers who with their work enrich the artistic culture of our countries (…); ensure the joint presentation of fiction films, documentaries, cartoons and current events (…), and contribute to the international diffusion and circulation of the main and most significant productions of our cinematographies". The inaugural festival hosted over 600 filmmakers from across Latin America. Colombian author
Gabriel García Márquez as president of the Fiction jury and Cuban filmmaker
Santiago Álvarez as president of the jury for Documentaries and Animation. The Coral Grand Prize winners were
Colonel Delmiro Gouveia (dir.
Geraldo Sarno,
Brazil) and
Maluala (dir.
Sergio Giral, Cuba) in Fiction,
The Battle of Chile: the Struggle of a People Without Arms (dir.
Patricio Gúzman,
Chile) in Documentary, and
Elpidio Valdés (dir.
Juan Padrón, Cuba) in Animation. In 2013, following the death of the then-President and co-founder Alfredo Guevara, ==Awards==