CANTON - Hugo Perez, a producer and director of independent films, will give a presentation titled "Portrait of the Cuban American Artist as a Young New York Filmmaker" on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 4:30 p.m. in the Common Room of Sykes Residence Hall at St. Lawrence University.

The event, which includes a lecture and film screening, is open to the public, free of charge. It is presented with assistance from the Alcoa Foundation Cultural Affairs Program Fund.

Perez's short films, both narrative and documentary will be shown, and he will share his experiences producing films in Cuba and making the transition from documentary to fiction filmmaking. Perez is also an accomplished writer, studying with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, collaborating with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Kennedy and serving as a guest artist for theater director and artist Robert Wilson.

His writing has been featured in the New York Times Magazine and Salon, and his films have screened at venues such as MoMA and the Smithsonian. For more information, contact Karin Blackburn at 229-5998.