Hay Festival Cartagena 2025

The actor, director and producer Diego Luna has balanced the galaxies of Hollywood and the vibrant Mexico City like no one else in the business. His activism, which has been channelled in the field of social causes, as well as in projects such as the documentary film festival Ambulante, demonstrates his conviction that telling stories can also transform realities. His next film, Ceniza en la boca, an adaptation of the novel by Brenda Navarro, explores the fate of those who are still seeking their place in the world. He will talk to Andrés Mompotes, Editor of El Tiempo.

In December of last year, Fugue State 1986 was released on the Netflix platform. Aremass killers born or are they made? How do the minds of these murderers work? What is the condition that some psychiatrists have called amok syndrome? A dialogue between the series’ screenwriter, Ana María Parra, and the writer Mario Mendoza.

The actor, director, cultural manager and interpreter of the identity of his region, the Cartagenan Jhon Narváez, understands art as a tool for community transformation. He organises projects that boost citizen participation, such as the Pedro Romero Vive Aquí collective, the Mi Centro es Cartagena initiative, the Tornado Cartagena audiovisual festival, and the creation of the superhero Capitán Cartagena. His work in film is also linked to popular memory, interpreting Joe Arroyo in the film Rebelión.

Here, by Richard McGuire (USA), is one of the most iconic works in the contemporary graphic novel, thanks to the originality of its narrative scheme. It tells the story of the corner of a room, and things that have happened and will happen in that space, from prehistoric times to a far future. The novel proceeds without a chronological order, and many panels contain insets with scenes from different years. Its French translation won an award at the Angouleme Comic Festival in 2016, and in 2024 it was made into a film, starring Tom Hanks, by Robert Zemeckis.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

An exceptional event brings together Jorge Perugorría and Leonardo Padura, who will discuss their shared love of cinema, followed by a screening of Neurótica anónima, directed by Perugorría. The film tells the story of Iluminada, an older woman who works as an usher in an old movie theater that has become her emotional refuge and strongest connection to life. When the cinema is threatened with closure, she faces the loss of her only symbolic home, as the film reflects on memory, unfulfilled dreams, and a deep love for cinema.

The actor, director, cultural manager and the writer of his native land, the Cartagenan Jhon Narváez has extended his voice in various formats. In film, in the role of Moisés in Pájaros de verano or playing Joe Arroyo in Rebelión, a performance that won him the 2023 Macondo Prize, right after overcoming a stroke. He is also a promoter of local and community projects, including Conéctate Caribe, creating the superhero Capitán Cartagena and running the artistic project Pedro Romero Vive Aquí. From the Caribbean to the world, he has kept his roots and local identity. He talks to Frank Baez.

All events on Sunday, February 1st will be free for people with ID from the department of Bolívar. Complimentary tickets can be requested —up to capacity— at the box office of the Hay Festival (Centro de Convenciones) showing your identification on the same day the event is taking place.