Havana, Cuba.- The Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) described the upcoming access to the original movie “Vampires in Havana,” protected by the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE), as a major summer surprise.

ICAIC President Alexis Triana published the information on his Facebook account and added that the work of Cuban animation maestro Juan Padron (1947-1920), winner of the 2008 National Film Award, will return to the Caribbean nation to mark the 40th anniversary of its premiere in July 1985.

“We would like to express our gratitude, especially to Esther Elorza, Head of Archive and Film Library Conservation, and her collaborator Alvaro Hernandez; and especially to the solidarity and support of Ignaci Camos Victoria, Director General of the Spanish Film Institute,” Triana wrote on the social network.

Likewise, the support of Silvia Padron—daughter of the prestigious Cuban cartoonist, illustrator, comic book artist, and screenwriter—and the significant support of La Manigua Project, allowing Cuban viewers to enjoy this excellent, preserved copy as a co-production of RTVE and ICAIC.

Juan Padron’s second feature film, “Vampires in Havana” is a cult animated film and is considered of great importance in the history of Cuban cinematography. It was so successful that in 2003 he directed a sequel titled “More Vampires in Havana”.

Filled with humor, the film tells the story of an alleged conspiracy by two organized vampire gangs (“Capa Nostra” in the Americas and “Grupo Vampiro” in Europe) to seize the formula created by Bernhardt Amadeus that allows them to resist the sun.

“Vampires in Havana” won the Third Coral Prize at the 7th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana (1985) and the Diploma of Honor at the 9th International Film Festival in Quito, Ecuador (1986).

The film was awarded the George Brassans Medal by the Laognan Film Festival at the 1st Cuban Culture Festival in France (1986), and was selected among the 30 best animated films by the Cultural Council of the Spanish Film Institute (1989).