Havana, December 5 (RHC) -- The Embassy of Japan in Cuba is celebrating the four centuries of friendship between both nations with the showing of six Japanese anime films in movie theaters in the Cuban capital Havana, starting today.

The 36th International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema will be hosting this showcase of Japanese anime until Monday, December 8th. Anime is an animation style characteristic of Japan, which gathers followers worldwide for the breadth of its themes and genres.

The show will close year-round activities in tribute to the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga, the first Japanese to visit Cuba -- according to historians -- in 1614.

The public will be able to enjoy for free the six feature animation films in designated movie theaters in the capital. All the materials offer a variety of stories and are appealing to viewers of all ages.

The films are: Gatchaman Scientific Ninja Team, by the director Hisayuki Toriumi, Makoto Shinkai's Travel to Agartha: The children who chase lost voices; Kakurenbo: The game of hide and seek, by Shuhei Morita, Shinji Takagi's SOS! The Tokyo Metro Explorers; Jun Awazu's Planzet; and Komaneko - The Curious Cat, by the director Tsuneo Goda.