A film adaptation titled "Hotel Nacional" has cast Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría, best known for the Oscar-nominated "Strawberry and Chocolate," alongside Brazilian star Thiago Lacerda in a Havana-set drama being presented at the Iberseries & Platino Industria Co-Production and Financing Forum. The project marks a notable pairing of established Ibero-American talent and highlights the growing prominence of co-productions spanning Spain, Brazil and Cuba at the industry showcase.

The film follows Lacerda's character Bruno, a grieving man visiting Havana after his Cuban wife's death, who meets Spanish doctor Pilar and forms an unlikely bond with veteran bartender Rubén, played by Perugorría, at the storied Hotel Nacional. It is directed by Diego Corsini, marking his eighth feature, and is produced by Spain's Cinescalas, Brazil's TVZero and Cuba's i4films, with backing from the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC). Corsini said shooting, targeted for early next year, will proceed in Havana despite Cuba's economic difficulties, citing progress in alternative energy and the resilience of Cuban partners as reasons for confidence.