Chronicles of the Absurd / Crónicas del absurdo, the latest film by Cuban director Miguel Coyula, won the Best Film Award in its world premiere at the Envision competition of the 37th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), earning a cash prize of €15,000.
“Formally complex with a film language that arises organically and directly from its limitations, this film impressed us with the use of an audio track as a political diary. For its radical form that matches and embodies the radical spirit of artists refusing to be silenced, the jury awards the IDFA Award for Best Film to Chronicles of the Absurd by Miguel Coyula,” wrote the jury, composed of Sam Green, Nduka Mntambo, Kumjana Novakova, B. Ruby Rich, and Wael Shawky.
Told in ten elliptical chapters, Chronicles of the Absurd exposes the complex contradictions underpinning Cuba’s social and political dynamics—realities often invisible to casual visitors. The film constructs its narrative primarily through clandestine audio recordings captured on concealed cell phones.
The 37th edition of IDFA took place from November 14–24, 2024, in the Netherlands.
