France, one of the countries with the most prestige and tradition in the cinema world, will be the guest country at the 48th Festival de Cine de Cartagena (Cartagena Film Festival), which will be held from 29th February to 7th March 2008. The Executive Committee of the Corporacion Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena, its President, Yolanda Pupo de Mogollon and manager, Araceli Morales, presented a formal invitation to the French Ambassador to Colombia, Jean Michael Marland, for France, with its cinema magic and charm, to be featured at the next edition of the annual contest. Victor Nieto, founding director of the festival, stated that it will provide an opportunity for attending Latin Americans to have another alternative to see varied contemporary cinema. "For the Festival, it’s an opportunity to not only recall the best of French cinema, but also to update our knowledge of what’s happening in the Seventh Art in France", added Festival President Yolanda Pupo de Mogollon, during her talk with the ambassador, in which the Festival’s interest to have a major and broad sampling of French cinema was presented. Festival manager, Araceli Morales, stated that this selection will make for a milestone year for Colombian cinema and that Colombia had one of its biggest international showcases in France, at the Cannes Film Festival. At this prestigious event, Colombia was one of the special invited guest countries. Attending the meeting with the French Ambassador, held at the Alianza Colombo Francesa ("Colombian-French Alliance") offices in Cartagena, were the Adviser for French Culture, Phillipe Valery, the Alianza Colombo Francesa representative, Colagero Seandra, French film producer Thierry Forte, President of the Alliance in Cartagena, Eduardo Perez, Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores [Colombian foreign affairs ministry] official Helen Bekker, manager of the Alianza Colombo Francesa in Cartagena, Hele Hivert and the manager of the Festival Internacional de Cine para Niños y Jovenes ["International Film Festival for Children and Youth"], Gerardo Nieto. Included in the programming will be retrospectives, screenings of contemporary French cinema, and a series of activities on the seventh art in France.