Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano presents...
Fall 2011 Series
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Las favoritas de Amigos del Cine/Amigos del Cine’s Top Picks
In 2011, Amigos del Cine celebrates its eight year of activity. It is an odd number to commemorate – a fifth or a tenth anniversary are all more traditional landmarks. And yet, it just happened to be one of those moments where we realized it is never too late, or too early, to show a side of ourselves that is as vital for what we do as the topics we often select to anchor our choices of screenings – our very own, individual tastes in movies. Although brought together by a love of cinema, nostalgia for our respective homelands or childhood, and a need to celebrate the latter through former (not to mention our affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh), Amigos del Cine is a very diverse group with personalities that audience members at our screenings might be somewhat familiar with, but that to this day remain somewhat distant – we are faces and names who come on stage before the lights go out, give you some background information on the film you are about to see, and then return to thank you for your presence and attention. You might know us as a collective, but you are yet to glimpse, behind our choices as series programmers, how we really feel about the movies we eagerly share with you. So consider this as our way of introducing ourselves to you, our audience, the most important element of our series. And what could be more revealing of our identities than our favorite movies?
Welcome, then, to our Fall 2011 series, where our unifying theme is the closeness of the films to our hearts – enjoy “Amigos del Cine’s Top Picks,” presented by those who selected them to tell you, rather simply, why these four films are so special.
Thursday, Dec 1, 6:30pm
Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
(Our last screening for the Fall 2011)
(Our last screening for the Fall 2011)
La Muralla Verde/ The Green Wall
Dir. Armando Robles Godoy (Perú, 1970)
Armando Robles’s La Muralla Verde (The Green Wall), is a film that embeds the senses of the viewer from the first scene because of the strength of its narrative, the usage of juxtaposed time, and its dialectical display of images. It is a story of an urban heroic young couple and their little son who against all odds decide to move to the Peruvian jungle, embracing a nationalistic colonizing project encouraged by the government during the 70’s. The family’s idyllic life is disrupted by the many difficulties they have to face in order to fulfill their dreams. The story is a metaphor of the dilemma that Peruvian citizens were experiencing during that time in a country where social change, progress, and individual realization were difficult to achieve. The masterful final sequence will leave the spectator speechless for its unexpected development of the story. The Green Wall is considered “a bitter and beautiful movie” and a piece of art from the late Armando Robles Godoy, who is considered the only Peruvian filmmaker to have created an auteur cinema in Peru. (By Mildred Lopez)
Thursday, Nov 10 @ 6.30PM(Mildred Lopez's selection)
El Bolero de Raquel (Raquel's Bolero) with Mario Moreno “Cantinflas”
Dir. Miguel M. Delgado (Mexico 1957)
Moved by nostalgia of my childhood in Perú and my first experience as a child watching popular movies on Peruvian National TV, I chose to present in this Film Series “El Bolero de Raquel” (Raquel’s Bolero). As any other family in my native country, on long holiday weekends, my grandmother and I used to watch classic Mario Moreno “Cantinflas” movies from the great 50’s Mexican Golden Cinema. These movies are still extremely popular in Latin America even many years after. “Cantinflas” – the Mexican Groucho Marx – was one of the most talented comic actors in Latin America. In his more than 50 movies, he portrayed the “pícaro” (trickster) character. Cantinflas follows the tradition of “pícaros” in the history of the Spanish literature like “Lazarillo de Thormes” (1554) and “Periquillo Sarniento” (1816). In “El Bolero de Raquel” Cantinflas portrays a bootblack trickster tutor of an orphan who is capable of turning the world upside down using body language as well as speech called in Spanish “vacilada”. His carnivalesque language creates ambivalent funny situations that eventually subvert the social hierarchies and are used by him as a way to liberate his character from the power. This movie is not only is an opportunity get to know one of the classic comic Latin America movies of all time but also is an opportunity to see the changes in Mexico City during the 50’s— the complex problems which were brought by industrial capitalism and urbanization which pulled migrants from the country side into chaotic city life (By Mildred Lopez).
Thursday, Oct. 6 ( Felipe Pruneda's selection)
Profundo carmesí/ Deep Crimson
Director: Arturo Ripstein (1996)
After three decades of being among the most internationally renowned Mexican filmmakers and the country’s undisputed paragons of sordid, unflinching film drama that found ever more direct paths to hopelessness, director Arturo Ripstein and screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego made their first bona-fide black comedy in Profundo Carmesí, a madly hilarious tale of murder and twisted love between a couple (Regina Orozco and Daniel Giménez Cacho) who kill wealthy spinsters for their money. Despite the lurid subject matter and some extremely hard-to-watch moments, the film sports a glorious sense of humor that magically balances drama with horror, and that opens unexpected affective possibilities where other Ripstein/Garciadiego (and many other highly regarded Mexican films, for that matter) shut them down as they wallow in their characters’ misery. It is film that is disturbing and enjoyable all at the same time (Felipe Pruneda).
Bajo la Misma Luna/Under The Same Moon
Director: Patricia Riggen (2008)
For some of us, immigrants by choice, not by force, the topic of immigration is very close to our hearts and minds. “Under the same moon” is one of my favorite films. I like this movie because it presents the realities of illegal immigration in a very simple and yet powerful way. This is a simple movie that tells a simple story: a child’s journey in search for her mother who has gone to US to build a better life for both of them. Regardless of your political views on immigration, this is a wonderful and very human story. It brings laughter, sadness, and a sincere sense of happiness into an enjoyable, movie-going experience (Martha Mantilla)
Thursday, Dec. 1 TBA
SPRING SERIES 2011
Globalization and Power in Latin America Cinema
Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano (Friends of Latin-American Cinema) is pleased to announce our new film series for Spring 2011. This semester we will focus on the theme of Globalization and Power, looking at their relationship with colonialism, neocolonialism, the growth of migration, and the problems that they carry both in cities and rural areas. We will also consider the implications of globalization and power and the ways in which they affect the well-being of various populations, along with social movements that counter or protest their adverse effects.
This semester the films will be presented at 6:30pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. As usual, we will give a short introduction of the film and after the presentation you are welcome to stay for a discussion. **Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: search Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano - Pittsburgh, PA**
In recent years, Globalization and Power has continued to be a constant theme of interest in Latin American academia and arts. During the 1990’s, most of the Latin American economic and political agendas were designed to open markets and increase trade liberalization. However, these policies did not deliver on reducing income inequality. Instead, several economic crises stalled economic growth, thereby deepening poverty levels. The result has been the rise of populist movements that blame global capitalism for the financial setbacks and the greater volatility in economic life. Since the election of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela (1998), a wave of politicians in the region have won elections based on leftist platforms, including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador, among others. Nevertheless, there is some question as to how far any populist movement can sway from globalization. Peru and Colombia signed free trade agreements (FTAs) with the US. Also, Brazil and Chile remain committed to open market economy. The process of Globalization and Power in Latin America seems unstoppable and the current debate focuses on how it will be shaped and how it will affect the Latin American population.
Viewing Globalization and Power through the lens of cinema brings an intimate point of view and reminds us that there are real lives at stake in every instance of this process. The selection of movies will provide a range of voices that depict the intricate topics (of choice) from different angles. Some of the films screened in this series will challenge the spectator by questioning the implications on global labor, the effects of multinational corporations on small communities, the daily life of working-class people as they relate to the development of globalization, the effects on environment, and the rise of popular left movements in Latin America, among other issues.
The cinematic representation in either fiction or documentaries will offer the viewers the opportunity to both discover new films made in or about Latin America and to appreciate recognized works by new filmmakers. More importantly, this will be an opportunity to engage in a cross-cultural reflection about different creative perspectives on Globalization and Power in Latin America.
Sponsored by University of Pittsburgh's Center for Latin American Studies, Hispanic Languages and Literatures and The Eduardo Lozano Latin American Collection at The Hillman Library.
Thursday, January 13
La ley de Herodes / Herod’s Law
Dir. Luis Estrada
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Thursday, January 27
Choropampa: The Price of Gold
Dir. Ernesto Cabellos and Stephanie Boyd
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Thursday, February 10
State of Siege
Dir. Costa-Gavras; written by Franco Solinas
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Thursday, February 24
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Dir. Oliver Stone
Presented by: Dan Beeton
Reception: 6pm
Screening: 6:30
The film will be presented by Dan Beeton, who played a role in the making of the film and will be available for Q and A.
Mr. Beeton works for the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), which is based in Washington, DC. South of the Border was co-written by economist Mark Weisbrot, Co-founder and Co-Director of CEPR. The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. CEPR conducts both professional research and public education.
The film is the product of Oliver Stone's 2009 road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements taking place in those countries and the mis-perceptions most people have about Hugo Chávez and other leaders in South America, mostly due to a skewed portrayal by major US media.
Synopsis: There's a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn't know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband the late Néstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region.
About the CEPR http://www.cepr.net/index.php/about-us/
About South of the Border http://southoftheborderdoc.com/synopsis/
You can view the trailer and more info at www.southoftheborderdoc.com.
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Thursday, March 3
La Nana (The Maid)
Dir. Sebastian Silva
As a boy, the Chilean filmmaker resented that his family’s maid had the right to boss him around, and fought against her authority in the home. Young Silva believed his rebellion would be without serious consequences, because she was “just the maid”. Later, he came to understand that “She’s more or less family.” Growing up with a live-in domestic made Silva both conscious and curious about what such a person was doing in his house. He wrote his character, Raquel, as sort of a lost soul, who comes to live with a bourgeois family at a very young age. For 20 years she's been operating with the emotional intelligence of a teenager, and slowly going crazy. She has neither a social or sexual life.
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Thursday, March 17
Ciclovida (Lifecycle)
Presented by Matt Feinstein, lead filmmaker
presentation: 6:30pm
screening: 7pm pm
reception: 8:15pm
Brothers Matt and Loren Feinstein are Ciclovida: Lifecycle’s two lead filmmakers. Loren is a composer and film consultant, with specific experience in educational film, who has worked extensively with the Media Education Foundation, an award winning educational film company. Matt’s past documentary filmmaking includes Work, Dignity & Social Change, Descubrir con Dignidad, adult mentor for Listen Up’s “Beyond Green Youth” media project and numerous short documentaries. Additionally, he has long been deeply involved in various social movements.
With practically no money and no support crew, the protagonists rely on their resourcefulness and the solidarity of people they meet along the way. They carry with them only the simplest of necessities: their radical ideas and philosophy, collected heirloom seeds, and a video camera. The main characters, Ignacio and Ivania, identify as farmers, poets, musicians, and activists for ecological and social justice. They seek to gather and disseminate thousands of seeds, a wealth of knowledge, and contribute to an invaluable network amongst small agricultural communities of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, all without the use of oil or biofuels. This film also explores their role as parents as they struggle with distance, both physical and figurative from their children, who share their ideals but do not accompany them on the journey.
This stirring narrative captivates its audience, while it unflinchingly conveys the disturbing ecological, economic, and social impacts of large agribusiness practices. It portrays an alternative to the biofuel monocultures that threaten all small farmers, as the triumphant protagonists create significant and sustainable change using what sparse resources available to them.
Brothers Matt and Loren Feinstein are Ciclovida: Lifecycle’s two lead filmmakers. Loren is a composer and film consultant, with specific experience in educational film, who has worked extensively with the Media Education Foundation, an award winning educational film company. Matt’s past documentary filmmaking includes Work, Dignity & Social Change, Descubrir con Dignidad, adult mentor for Listen Up’s “Beyond Green Youth” media project and numerous short documentaries. Additionally, he has long been deeply involved in various social movements.
You can view the trailer and more info at http://ciclovida.org/en/ciclovida-lifecycle
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Thursday, March 31
Los Herederos (The Inheritors)
Dir. Eugenio Polgovsky
The film takes us into the agricultural fields, where children barely bigger than the buckets they carry, work long hours, in often hazardous conditions, picking tomatoes, peppers, or beans, for which they are paid by weight. Infants in baskets are left alone in the hot sun, or are breast-fed by mothers while they pick crops. THE INHERITORS also observes other labor routines, including the production of earthen bricks, cutting cane, gathering firewood, ox-plowing fields and planting by hand, and even more artistic endeavors such as carving wooden figures and weaving baskets to sell. The indelible impression conveyed by THE INHERITORS, in which everyone-from the frailest elders to the smallest of toddlers-must work reveals how the cycle of poverty is passed on, from one generation to another.
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Thursday, April 14
They Killed Sister Dorothy
Dir. Daniel Junge
They Killed Sister Dorothy chronicles the legal proceedings that followed the execution-style murder of a Catholic nun and activist. At age 73, Sister Dorothy Stang had lived in Brazil for 30 years, collaborating with the government to establish sustainable development in a remote corner of the Amazon. But along the way, she had made enemies among the ranchers who stood to benefit from the exploitation of the rainforest and its natural resources. In 2005, she was shot six times at point-blank range. Two men were arrested for the killing, but it quickly became clear that her death was part of a much greater conspiracy.
Archival footage featuring the so-called "Angel of the Amazon" supplements interviews with her brother and best friend, who are seeking justice in the case. But when Colorado-based filmmaker Daniel Junge and his crew gain access to the courtroom proceedings, it is the shockingly candid encounters they have with the men who confessed, the ranchers accused of hiring them, the defense lawyers and a federal prosecutor that really shed light on the circumstances of Sister Dorothy's death - as well as on the struggle over the future of the rainforest within a dangerously corrupt system often compared to the Wild West.
The director's credits include numerous award-winning PBS-aired documentaries like Chiefs, which follows Wyoming Indian High School's basketball team, and Iron Ladies of Liberia (SDFF 30), about Africa's first elected female president. Coproduced by Academy Award-winner Nigel Noble, They Killed Sister Dorothy also features a score by Pedro Bromfman, whose latest project, Tropa de Elite, won a Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival.
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Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano presents...
FALL SERIES 2010
CUBAN EYES/ CUBANIZE:
Fifty Years of Cinema Since the Cuban Revolution
When Cuban citizens Julio García Espinoza, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and his filmmaking colleagues saw, in 1959, the culmination of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary struggle, they identified in the cinema not only the ideal vessel to carry the message of revolt, but also as the per-fect means with which to tackle the realities of the Cuba that would emerge from the fight. Thus they founded the Instituto Cubano del Arte y la Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) and inaugurated a tradition of socially responsible cinema that continues to this day. It is clear, then, that the Cuban Revolution and the art of film have been inti-mately connected since Castro’s regime replaced Batista’s. Modern Cuban cinema was one of the Revolución’s young-est children.
So it is not only pertinent, but essential, to in-clude the cinema in our remembrance of the Cuban Revolution. Not only did the film industry grow out of the ideological momentum unleashed by the upheaval – film paid in kind by providing it with reflections and counterpoints that would help shape its consequences through the decades. Cinema allowed the young believers in change to exercise a critical distance that led them away from pure propaganda and towards the creation of more lasting artistic works. With indelible images attached to its many stories – such as Ernesto “Ché” Guevara’s defiant face and the commentary on a reel of pornographic im-ages in Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s Memorias del subdesarrollo – Cuba’s Revolution is arguably the most cinematic in the history of the Americas. We at Amigos del Cine could not let this opportunity pass and hence invite you to look back on one of the most notable cases of an intimate rela-tionship between movies and the society that created them.
Wednesday, Sept. 8
The New Art of Making Ruins
Dir. Florian Borchmeyer, 2006
The New Art of Making Ruins
Dir. Florian Borchmeyer, 2006
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***Wednesday, Sept. 15***
Memorias del Subdesarrollo
Dir. Tomas Gutierrez Alea, 1968
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Wednesday, Sept. 22 NO FILM
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***Thursday, Sept. 30***
Vampiros en Habana
Dir. Juan Padron, 1985
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***Thursday, Oct. 7***
La Ultima Cena
Dir. Tomas Gutierrez Alea, 1976
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Thursday, Oct. 14
NO FILM
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Thursday, Oct. 21
East of Havana
DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR
Dir. Jauretsi Saizarbitoria
**location:** Mattress Factory
6:30 refreshments
7:00pm Screening
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***SPECIAL PROGRAM***
Tuesday, Oct. 26
A Dialogue with Luciano Larobina
Brown Bag Discussion with Director
Location: 4130 Posvar Hall
Time: 12pm
**Free and Open to the Public**
***Pizza and Drinks Provided***
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Wednesday, Oct. 27
HavanYork
DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR
Dir. Luciano Larobina
6:00pm Reception
6:30pm Screening
9:30 : Special Screening:
Los zapatos de Zapata (2001, 25 minutes),
a Larobina documentary about Emiliano Zapata
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Thursday, Nov. 4
NO FILM
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Wednesday, Nov. 10
Lucia
Dir. Humberto Solas
Dir. Humberto Solas
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***Friday, Nov. 12***
Fresa y Chocolate
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 1994
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Wednesday, Nov. 17
Elpidio Valdes
Dir. Juan Padron
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Friday, Nov. 19
*NO FILM*
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Friday, Nov. 19
*NO FILM*
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Thursday, Dec. 2
**Special Program**
The Impact of T.G. Alea on the Lives of
Latin Americanist Scholars
Speakers: Dr. Jerome Branche
Dr. John Beverly
Time: 5:30 (reception)
6:15pm (dialogue)
7pm (film screening)
Titon, de la habana a guantanamera
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FINALE Thursday, Dec. 9
**Special Program**
The Impact of T.G. Alea on the Lives of
Latin Americanist Scholars
Speakers: Dr. Jerome Branche
Dr. John Beverly
Time: 5:30 (reception)
6:15pm (dialogue)
7pm (film screening)
Titon, de la habana a guantanamera
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FINALE Thursday, Dec. 9
Raíces de mi Corazón (Roots of My Heart)
Director Gloria Rolando
Director Gloria Rolando
Spring 2010: De Genero a Genero
Friday, January 15
Leonera (Lion's Den)
Director: Pablo Trapero - Argentina, 2008
To open the Spring series, De Género a Género, we present Pablo Trapero's Leonera (Lion's Den), Argentina's chilling entry in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. It tells the tale of Julia (Martina Gusman), who wakes up in the aftermath of a bloody evening to find herself simultaneously convicted and pregnant without knowing either who killed her lover. Trapero's sensitive camera follows her as she grows from unwilling and frightened to a loving mother in the course of her sentence and the eventual trial that will decide her fate. Despite the potentially melodramatic situation and the links of women-in-prison scenarios to exploitation cinema, Trapero and Gusman represent Julia's titanic struggle to raise her child in the most hostile of environments (which appears to be the very negation of the innocence she so desperately tries to protect for ther child and even with herself) without stridency or exaggeration, making Leonera a gripping, thought-provoking mediation on the many dilemas of maternity and a rare cinematic study of motherhood behind bars.
Friday, January 22Doña Herlinda y su hijo - Doña Herlinda and her son (Dramatic comedy)
Dir. Jaime Humberto Hermosillo - Mexico, 1985
In this sly Mexican sex comedy, a manipulative mama deftly manages the life of her homosexual son so that he can have his cake and eat it too. A woman of means, she does this by allowing her son, a doctor, to tryst in her home with her lover. Putting her son's happiness above all else, she then arranges a marriage of convenience to a woman. When the marriage is consummated, the young male lover gets terribly jealous and this creates problems until the irrepressible Doña Herlinda again gets involved. Not surprisingly, critics have often argued that Doña Herlinda's character echoes the authoritarianism of the Mexican State and that of the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in power for most of 2oth century. In the act of remodeling her house so as to accommodate both her son's wife and son, and his male lover, Doña Herlinda is, as some would say, "queering patriarchy"; yet, she does not give up the pretense of "normal" heterosexual bliss for her son. As such, the movie challenges the public's understanding of non-heterosexual behavior and suggests that gender expression is, after all, not only culturally defined but also in constant evolution.
Friday, January 29
Radio CorazónDir. Roberto Artiagoitía - Chile, 2007
Based on three stories that were heard on a popular Chilean radio show, with the first story following the amusing journey of a teenage girl who vows to lose her virginity before graduation. The second story shows the results of an affair between a middle-aged woman and her son's fiance, while the last segment focuses on a young woman who goes from being a servant to a member of the family.
Thursday, February 4Los amantes del círculo polar - Lovers of the Arctic Circle (Drama)
Dir. Julio Medem - Spain/ France, 1998
Circle is the key word here. Spanish filmmaker Julio Medem's dreamy, exquisitely constructed romance, set in Spain and Finland, finds poetry in geometry, particularly in the never-ending spherical shape of fated love. Taciturn liners Otto and Ana -the palindromic names are no accident- meet as children and instantly recognize each other as missing halves of a soulful whole (Three different pairs of actors play de duo). And as their lives twine over the years (her widowed mother falls in love with his divorced father), their joined destinies are echoed in a symetry of coincidence affecting parents, grandparents, teachers, and passing townspeople. Otto becomes a pilot, girdling the globe; Ana moves to Finland, yearning to stand where the Arctic sun never sets. Though in the end the heroes find each other again, we are invited to question the role of fate and predentination in people's lives rather than being gratified with a happily-ever-after conclusion.
February 11/12 no film presented
Thursday, February 18Princesas
Dir. Fernando León de Aranoa - Spain, 2005
In Princesas, Caye comes from a middle-class family unaware of her life as a prostitute. Zuleman is a beautiful woman from the Dominican Republic who works the streets to support a son back home. Both wolme pin their dreams on money or idealized relationships. Caye and Zule share in discovery of self-determination. While it sontains director Fernando Leon de Aranoa's signature concern with the forces that constrain working-class people, Princesas is social realism infused with a wonderful figurative touch.
Friday, February 26Novia que te vea
Guita Schyfer - Mexico, 1994
Based on the novel by Rosa Nissan, this 1994 Mexican film presents a warm and touching tale set within the Mexican Jewish community, starting with a prologue in the 1920s and spanning all the way to the present. The film focuses on two young women: the sensitive, wide-eyed Oshi Mataraso and the rebellious and idealistic Rifke, and their coming-of-age in a time ripe with alienation, self-discovery, revolution, destruction, and rebirth. Besides exploring gender expression at the intersection of tradition and modernity in the Mexican Jewish community, the movie also discusses Jewish-Catholic relations in Mexico as well as Mexican Jew's feelings toward the State of Israel, thus constituting a broader interrogation of the meaning of "Mexicanness".
Friday, March 5La pasión según Berenice
Jaime Humberto Hermosillo - Mexico, 1976
Berenice, a brooding young widow scarred by the fire that mysteriously took her husband's life, becomes the caretaker of her ailing godmother. There she falls for her godmother's handsome young doctor, who awakens her passion and fantasies. In this dark, Hitchcockian drama, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo masterfully weaves a subplot of passion and intrigue, likening Berenice to a black widow spider.
Wednesday!!!, March 17A casa de Alice
Chico Teixeira, Brazil - 2007
When Alice, a Sao Paulo manicurist, wife and mother has a chance meeting with an old flame, she is forced to re-examine her life and address her romantic dreams. Feeling her youth and sexuality slipping away, Alice flirts with a rapturous affair to escape her repressive family life and avoid the fate of her aging mother, who drags out her remaining years as the housemaid. Award-winning documentarian Carlos Teixeira silently immerses his camera in Alices household, recording day-to-day minutia and scorching passion with equal weight and no judgement. The result is a world all too real, overflowing the boundaries of its Brazilian setting and revealing the dreams and flaws which define our shared humanity.
March 25/26 no film presented
Friday, April 2XXYLucía Puenzo - Argentina, 2007
Alex is a 15-year-old teenager with a secret. Soon after her birth her parents decide to leave Buenos Aires to make a home out of an isolated wooden cabin tucked away in the dunes of the Uruguayan shoreline. XXY begins with Alex´s parents receiving a couple of friends and their 16-year-old son Álvaro from Buenos Aires. Álvaro´s father is a plastic surgeon who accepted the invitation because of his medical concern for their friend´s daughter. The inevitable attraction between both teenagers forces them all to face their worst fears… Rumors are spreading around town. Alex gets stared at as if she were a freak. People´s fascination with her can become dangerous.
WEDNESDAY, April 7Gigante
Adrián Biniez - Uruguay, 2008
A heavyset supermarket security guard on the nightshift develops a non-threateningobsession with a floor cleaner in "Gigante," Adrian Biniez’s slow-moving feature debut that fails to inject freshness into a one-sided tale. Produced by much the same team as the superior "Whisky" (which Biniez appears in as a thesp), the pic fits all the criteria for Hubert Bals funding with its lackluster pacing and marginal development, though occasional attempts at quirky humor generate a few chuckles. Despite drawbacks, "Gigante" has "festival" written all over, and enough programmers will make bookings to subsidize its world tour.
April 15/16 no film presented
Friday, April 23 (5:30pm Closing Reception)Mariposa Negra
Francisco Lombardi - Perú, 2006
Her boyfriend slain while sleeping as Alberto Fujimori's "civil dictatorship" falters on its last legs, a privileged schoolteacher and a world-weary tabloid journalist attempt to avenge the politically motivated murder in director Francisco José Lombardi's searing political thriller. Guido Pazos (Dario Abad) was an honest judge, so when Gabriela (Melania Urbina) learns that reporter Angelina (Magdyel Ugaz) has buckled to demands that she spin the death as the result of a gay romance gone wrong the grieving girlfriend confronts the cynical writer. Now, as Gabriela and Angelina delve ever deeper into the mystery, Gabriela hatches a detailed plan to murder shadowy criminal Montesinos - the man she holds directly responsible for Guido's death. After acquiring some particularly sensitive false documents and entering into a torrid romance with the one person who could grant her a private audience with the powerful Montesinos, the vengeful Gabriela begins working at a hotel catering exclusively to military and government officials while biding her time and waiting to make the big kill.
Leonera (Lion's Den)
Director: Pablo Trapero - Argentina, 2008
To open the Spring series, De Género a Género, we present Pablo Trapero's Leonera (Lion's Den), Argentina's chilling entry in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. It tells the tale of Julia (Martina Gusman), who wakes up in the aftermath of a bloody evening to find herself simultaneously convicted and pregnant without knowing either who killed her lover. Trapero's sensitive camera follows her as she grows from unwilling and frightened to a loving mother in the course of her sentence and the eventual trial that will decide her fate. Despite the potentially melodramatic situation and the links of women-in-prison scenarios to exploitation cinema, Trapero and Gusman represent Julia's titanic struggle to raise her child in the most hostile of environments (which appears to be the very negation of the innocence she so desperately tries to protect for ther child and even with herself) without stridency or exaggeration, making Leonera a gripping, thought-provoking mediation on the many dilemas of maternity and a rare cinematic study of motherhood behind bars.
Friday, January 22Doña Herlinda y su hijo - Doña Herlinda and her son (Dramatic comedy)
Dir. Jaime Humberto Hermosillo - Mexico, 1985
In this sly Mexican sex comedy, a manipulative mama deftly manages the life of her homosexual son so that he can have his cake and eat it too. A woman of means, she does this by allowing her son, a doctor, to tryst in her home with her lover. Putting her son's happiness above all else, she then arranges a marriage of convenience to a woman. When the marriage is consummated, the young male lover gets terribly jealous and this creates problems until the irrepressible Doña Herlinda again gets involved. Not surprisingly, critics have often argued that Doña Herlinda's character echoes the authoritarianism of the Mexican State and that of the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in power for most of 2oth century. In the act of remodeling her house so as to accommodate both her son's wife and son, and his male lover, Doña Herlinda is, as some would say, "queering patriarchy"; yet, she does not give up the pretense of "normal" heterosexual bliss for her son. As such, the movie challenges the public's understanding of non-heterosexual behavior and suggests that gender expression is, after all, not only culturally defined but also in constant evolution.
Friday, January 29
Radio CorazónDir. Roberto Artiagoitía - Chile, 2007
Based on three stories that were heard on a popular Chilean radio show, with the first story following the amusing journey of a teenage girl who vows to lose her virginity before graduation. The second story shows the results of an affair between a middle-aged woman and her son's fiance, while the last segment focuses on a young woman who goes from being a servant to a member of the family.
Thursday, February 4Los amantes del círculo polar - Lovers of the Arctic Circle (Drama)
Dir. Julio Medem - Spain/ France, 1998
Circle is the key word here. Spanish filmmaker Julio Medem's dreamy, exquisitely constructed romance, set in Spain and Finland, finds poetry in geometry, particularly in the never-ending spherical shape of fated love. Taciturn liners Otto and Ana -the palindromic names are no accident- meet as children and instantly recognize each other as missing halves of a soulful whole (Three different pairs of actors play de duo). And as their lives twine over the years (her widowed mother falls in love with his divorced father), their joined destinies are echoed in a symetry of coincidence affecting parents, grandparents, teachers, and passing townspeople. Otto becomes a pilot, girdling the globe; Ana moves to Finland, yearning to stand where the Arctic sun never sets. Though in the end the heroes find each other again, we are invited to question the role of fate and predentination in people's lives rather than being gratified with a happily-ever-after conclusion.
February 11/12 no film presented
Thursday, February 18Princesas
Dir. Fernando León de Aranoa - Spain, 2005
In Princesas, Caye comes from a middle-class family unaware of her life as a prostitute. Zuleman is a beautiful woman from the Dominican Republic who works the streets to support a son back home. Both wolme pin their dreams on money or idealized relationships. Caye and Zule share in discovery of self-determination. While it sontains director Fernando Leon de Aranoa's signature concern with the forces that constrain working-class people, Princesas is social realism infused with a wonderful figurative touch.
Friday, February 26Novia que te vea
Guita Schyfer - Mexico, 1994
Based on the novel by Rosa Nissan, this 1994 Mexican film presents a warm and touching tale set within the Mexican Jewish community, starting with a prologue in the 1920s and spanning all the way to the present. The film focuses on two young women: the sensitive, wide-eyed Oshi Mataraso and the rebellious and idealistic Rifke, and their coming-of-age in a time ripe with alienation, self-discovery, revolution, destruction, and rebirth. Besides exploring gender expression at the intersection of tradition and modernity in the Mexican Jewish community, the movie also discusses Jewish-Catholic relations in Mexico as well as Mexican Jew's feelings toward the State of Israel, thus constituting a broader interrogation of the meaning of "Mexicanness".
Friday, March 5La pasión según Berenice
Jaime Humberto Hermosillo - Mexico, 1976
Berenice, a brooding young widow scarred by the fire that mysteriously took her husband's life, becomes the caretaker of her ailing godmother. There she falls for her godmother's handsome young doctor, who awakens her passion and fantasies. In this dark, Hitchcockian drama, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo masterfully weaves a subplot of passion and intrigue, likening Berenice to a black widow spider.
Wednesday!!!, March 17A casa de Alice
Chico Teixeira, Brazil - 2007
When Alice, a Sao Paulo manicurist, wife and mother has a chance meeting with an old flame, she is forced to re-examine her life and address her romantic dreams. Feeling her youth and sexuality slipping away, Alice flirts with a rapturous affair to escape her repressive family life and avoid the fate of her aging mother, who drags out her remaining years as the housemaid. Award-winning documentarian Carlos Teixeira silently immerses his camera in Alices household, recording day-to-day minutia and scorching passion with equal weight and no judgement. The result is a world all too real, overflowing the boundaries of its Brazilian setting and revealing the dreams and flaws which define our shared humanity.
March 25/26 no film presented
Friday, April 2XXYLucía Puenzo - Argentina, 2007
Alex is a 15-year-old teenager with a secret. Soon after her birth her parents decide to leave Buenos Aires to make a home out of an isolated wooden cabin tucked away in the dunes of the Uruguayan shoreline. XXY begins with Alex´s parents receiving a couple of friends and their 16-year-old son Álvaro from Buenos Aires. Álvaro´s father is a plastic surgeon who accepted the invitation because of his medical concern for their friend´s daughter. The inevitable attraction between both teenagers forces them all to face their worst fears… Rumors are spreading around town. Alex gets stared at as if she were a freak. People´s fascination with her can become dangerous.
WEDNESDAY, April 7Gigante
Adrián Biniez - Uruguay, 2008
A heavyset supermarket security guard on the nightshift develops a non-threateningobsession with a floor cleaner in "Gigante," Adrian Biniez’s slow-moving feature debut that fails to inject freshness into a one-sided tale. Produced by much the same team as the superior "Whisky" (which Biniez appears in as a thesp), the pic fits all the criteria for Hubert Bals funding with its lackluster pacing and marginal development, though occasional attempts at quirky humor generate a few chuckles. Despite drawbacks, "Gigante" has "festival" written all over, and enough programmers will make bookings to subsidize its world tour.
April 15/16 no film presented
Friday, April 23 (5:30pm Closing Reception)Mariposa Negra
Francisco Lombardi - Perú, 2006
Her boyfriend slain while sleeping as Alberto Fujimori's "civil dictatorship" falters on its last legs, a privileged schoolteacher and a world-weary tabloid journalist attempt to avenge the politically motivated murder in director Francisco José Lombardi's searing political thriller. Guido Pazos (Dario Abad) was an honest judge, so when Gabriela (Melania Urbina) learns that reporter Angelina (Magdyel Ugaz) has buckled to demands that she spin the death as the result of a gay romance gone wrong the grieving girlfriend confronts the cynical writer. Now, as Gabriela and Angelina delve ever deeper into the mystery, Gabriela hatches a detailed plan to murder shadowy criminal Montesinos - the man she holds directly responsible for Guido's death. After acquiring some particularly sensitive false documents and entering into a torrid romance with the one person who could grant her a private audience with the powerful Montesinos, the vengeful Gabriela begins working at a hotel catering exclusively to military and government officials while biding her time and waiting to make the big kill.
Fall 2009 Series: Genre Films
Clowns, Robots, Killers and Wrestlers: the Latin American Film Genres.
(Payasos, robots, asesinos y luchadores: los géneros del cine Latinoamericano).“Genre” is a loaded term, but it is so in the best way. It invites one to make a singular inventory: of the details that make a western a western, a thriller a thriller, or a horror movie a horror movie. If we make such a list, it will look like the recipe for another world, and whenever we turn to a genre film, we expect to find the elements of that recipe. In short, the pleasure of watching genre films rests largely on their consistency – which is to say they are, to a great extent, predictable.The film industry of the United States has popularized the very idea of genre. The concept helps package and sell films, for every genre aims at a particular demographic – a sector of the audience for whom the world of a genre film is deliciously familiar. During the Studio Era, production companies specialized in particular genres, so that, for instance, Universal once handled all the horror films while MGM dominated the musicals. As purely commercial products, genre films often emerged as the opposite of art cinema: the latter breaks boundaries, defies description and delivers surprises, while the former relies on formulas, stock characters and situations, and a need for escapism.Genres are then the product of an established, working film industry. But what happens when a developing film industry tries its hand at a genre film? Interestingly, the result is then found in the art-house circuit when it goes abroad. Lacking an abundant output of examples of their genre, films like Sleep Dealer, El áura or Al final del espectro are, in fact, a rarity. The initial condition is then reversed: the genre film is no longer about meeting the viewer’s expectations, but about subverting them. The familiar morphs into something strange and new as Latin American filmmakers recast foreign genres through the sensibility that their history has shaped. And in this appropriation of the alien, the values of the Hispanic movie creators come into sharper focus. These genre films are paradoxes, for they trade in an unpredictability and uniqueness hiding behind their conventional surfaces.Amigos del cine latinoamericano invite you to step into novel worlds by following the allure of their familiarity, and also, if you will, to explore endemic genres for completely new experiences.
Film CalendarWednesday, September 9
Opening reception at 6:30 pm.
ACTORES SECUNDARIOS (Documentary)
Dir. Pachi Bustos & Jorge Leiva – Chile – 2004
Dir. Pachi Bustos & Jorge Leiva – Chile – 2004
Documentary on the history of a student movement of the 1980s which opposed the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.Thursday, Sept. 17
EL AURA (Crime thriller)
Dir. Fabián Bielinsky, Argentina – 2005
A quiet, cynic taxidermist, who suffers epilepsy attacks, is obsessed with committing the perfect crime. He claims that the cops are too stupid to find out about it when it's well executed, and that the robbers are too stupid to execute it the right way; and that he could do it himself relying on his photographic memory and his strategic planning skills. After he is invited on a hunting trip away from his home, an accident gives him the chance of his life: the possibility to commit the perfect crime he has been waiting for.Thursday, Oct. 1
CABEZA DE VACA (Historical Drama)
Dir. Nicolás Echevarría, Mexico – 1991
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A powerful historical drama concerning the eight-year long journey (1528 - 1536) of Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who was shipwrecked in Florida and enslaved by Indians, but who found a career as an itinerant Indian shaman, and eventually, after an endless journey through swamp and desert, ultimately found his way back to Spanish civilization. Cabeza de Vaca's few traveling companions, most notably the Moor Estebanico, helped fuel rumors of the Seven Cities of Cíbola, which led directly to the 1540 Coronado expedition and the first Spanish encounters with the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. Cabeza de Vaca's story is one the greatest personal survival tales in world history, and it made him one of the very, very few people who could fully appreciate the tragedy of Spain's conquest of the peoples of the Americas.Thursday, Oct. 8
FAMILIA RODANTE (Comedy)
Dir. Pablo Trapero, Argentina – 2004
On her 84th birthday, Emilia gets a call from her sister in Misiones inviting her to be matron of honor at a family wedding. Emilia tells her family that all of them are making the trip. Her two daughters, their husbands and children, one great-grandchild, and one child's friend jam into a camper van atop an old Chevy pickup. They leave from Buenos Aires. Engine trouble, a toothache, a stray dog, mosquitoes, and the heat complicate the journey. Cousins kiss, a melancholy brother-in-law tries to re-kindle an old flame, and the infant's father shows up uninvited. The screen is full of close ups. "Well, that's life," says Emilia.Thursday, Oct. 15
LA TETA ASUSTADA (Social Drama)
Dir. Claudia Llosa, Perú – 2009
Winner of the first award at the Berlinale, “La teta asustada” is the second film made by Claudia Llosa, director of the brilliant and exotic “Madeinusa”. The movie shows an interesting picture of a village in Peru, the life of a family, the things they do to earn a living, and the fears of Fausta, a girl whose mother taught her the power of songs to send away tears. Fausta keeps a secret, and she wants no one to discover it. Meanwhile, he tries to save money to make a wish come true. Magaly Solier plays a gorgeous role and makes us share her feelings through her eyes and her voice. Besides, the film shows the customs of a family and the way every member helps doing his best with a smile.Thursday, Oct. 22
El ORFANATO (Horror)
Guillermo del Toro, Mexico – 2007
Haunting secrets of the past resurface when a child mysteriously disappears in the supernatural thriller The Orphanage, a spinetingler with a jaw-dropping twist that will take your very last breath away! Produced by Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth).
Visionary Guillermo del Toro and acclaimed director J. A. Bayona present The Orphanage, a “positively terrifying” (John Anderson, Newsday) new vision of the classic ghost story. Returning to her childhood home – a mysterious, seaside orphanage – Laura and her family unknowingly unleash a long-forgotten, evil spirit. Now, thrust into a chilling nightmare that involves the disappearance of her young son, Laura must confront the memories of her past before the ghosts of the orphanage destroy her… and everyone she has ever loved.
Thursday, Oct. 29
FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER (O que é Isso, Companheiro?) (Thriller)
Dir. Bruno Barreto, Brazil – 1997
Fernando, a journalist, and his friend César join terrorist group MR8 in order to fight Brazilian dictatorial regime during the late sixties. Cesare, however, is wounded and captured during a bank hold up. Fernando then decides to kidnap the American ambassador in Brazil and ask for the release of fifteen political prisoners in exchange for his life.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th
Santo vs. las mujeres vampiro (Mexican wrestling)
Dir. Alonso Corona Blake, México – 1962
The vampire women in Mexico have awakened from their sleep, commanded by their master, The Evil One, to find him a bride. They choose as their target the beautiful daughter of a local professor. To rescue his daughter, the professor calls El Santo (Samson in some US versions), a silver-masked wrestler for justice.Thursday, November, Nov. 12
La niña santa (Auteaur film)
Dir. Lucrecia Martel, Argentina – 2004
A group of physicians gather at a provincial hotel in Salta. The hotel owner, Helena, is subdued, brittle, avoiding the calls of her ex-husband's pregnant wife. Family dysfunction seems everywhere. Helena's daughter, Amalia, about 14, discusses vocations in Catholic girls group. Their teen imaginations conflate the erotic, the religious, and the lurid. Amalia notices Dr. Jano, and he notices her. She decides to make him her vocation, she follows him, he rubs against her in a public crowd, he's appalled at his actions. Meanwhile, Helena believes Jano is attracted to her even through he's married. Longing, guilt, scandal, and teen sensuality are set to collide.
Thursday, November 19Los Andes no creen en DiosDir. Antonio Eguino, Bolivia, 2007
The film is set in 1927, in Uyuni, where tin and silver mining was a major business, making some people wealthy and making thousands of others essentially paid slaves. But the film (as some critics might point out) is not really as much about the brutal exploitation of miners (in fact working miners are almost a non-presence in the film) but about conflicts of morals amidst the better-off living in the city made by the mines.
An almost all-Bolivian cast creates vivid characters, including: Joaquin (Milton Cortez), a young transplanted Cochabambino man who misfortune in love and work eventually makes a wreck; Claudina (Carla Ortiz), a very sexual and free-willed transplanted Cochabambina who makes a lot of men wrecks; and Alfonso (Peruvian Diego Bertie) who navigates everything from banking, getting shot, and getting trapped in a mountain storm, to survive better than any others.Thursday, December 3
MOEBIUS,(Science Fiction)
Dir: Gustavo Mosquera R. Argentina, 1996
MOEBIUS is the first feature film to be collectively financed and produced by the two filmmakers and cinema professors who led the project, a crew formed by their 45 students, and the "Universidad del Cine" of Buenos Aires, as a producing entity. The idea of MOEBIUS came out of the young professor and filmmaker Gustavo Mosquera R, who engaged his students in their final years of their film studies to participate as the entire crew of the film. The idea of the "disappearance" of a subway train came out of the original short-story written by scientist A.J.Deutsch, "A Subway Called Moebius", published in 1950. But Mosquera R took the story and figured out a very different concept for the meaning of "the disappearance". He conceived the idea of a missing train as a passage to imply other political meanings about the missing people during the dictatorship times in Argentina.
In July 1996, MOEBIUS was completed and presented by Gustavo Mosquera R, at the "Universidad del Cine". The film was a complete surprise for audiences and authorities, and was quickly submitted to the "44th International Film Festival of SAN SEBASTIAN". It was immediately accepted and screened with notable success.
Thursday, December 10
**** Closing reception : 6:30pm ****Sleep Dealer (Science fiction)
Dir. Alex Rivera, Mexico, USA – 2008
Set in a near-future, militarized world marked by closed borders, virtual labor and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences, three strangers risk their lives to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology.
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Spring 2009:
January 21AVENTURERADir. Alberto Gout – Mexico – 1950
One of the most popular Mexican films ever made, the cult sensation Aventurera is a famous example of a cabaretera, a curious film noir and musical hybrid wildly popular in Mexico in the 1940s and 1950s. Starring Ninón Sevilla, whom Variety called 'a cross between Rita Hayworth and Carmen Miranda', the film follows the melodramatic rise and fall of a popular nightclub star with a dark past.
January 28ORFEU NEGRO
Dir. Marcel Camus – Brazil, France, Italy – 1959
February 4
EL ANGEL EXTERMINADOR
Dir. Luis Buñuel – Mexico – 1967
On his return to Mexico, Luis Buñuel followed his successful Viridiana (1961) with this brilliantly dark surreal black comedy, the last film he made in his adopted homeland. El Ángel exterminador (a.k.a. The Exterminating Angel) combines the unsettling creepiness of Buñuel’s first silent works - Un chien Andalou (1928) and L’Age d’or (1930) – with a potent cocktail of anti-bourgeois and anti-authority satire. It may not have the subtlety and sophistication of the director’s later work, but its unapologetic directness and in-your-face humour makes it his most accessible and irresistibly funny film.February 11
VIDAS SECAS
Dir. Nelson Pereira dos Santos – Brazil – 1963
February 18
BOQUITAS PINTADAS
Dir. Leopoldo Torre – Argentina – 1974
February 25
LA ULTIMA CENA
Dir. Tomas Gutiérrez Alea – Cuba—1976
March 4
EL LUGAR SIN LIMITE
Dir. Arturo Ripstein – México – 1978
March 18
UN HOMBRE DE EXITO
Dir. Humberto Solas – Cuba – 1985
March 25
EL EXILIO DE GARDEL
Dir. Fernando Solanas – Argentina, France – 1985
April 1
Che Guevara: Hasta la Victoria Siempre
(Por confirmar)
April 8
SENORA DE NADIE
Dir. María Luisa Bemberg – Argentina – 1982
April 15
FRIDA, NATURALEZA VIVA
Dir. Paul Leduc—Mexico—1984
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Fall 2008 Series:Latin American Cinema is experiencing an exciting and progressive moment in time. As in literature, Latin American film has a long history of examining social and political issues related to the diverse countries of the region. The current trend in Latin American film is also emphasizing upon simple and intimate narrative. Through a range of cinematographic genres and historical epochs, these stories reveal small but significant moments in the lives of those who live, suffer, love, cry and experience challenges just like any of us. In some cases social issues subtly manifest. This Fall 2008 Film Series will cover a rich variety of these themes through a selection of internationally acclaimed films.This series also pays tribute to the talent and imagination of those involved in every aspect of Latin American cinema production. Latin American filmmakers demonstrate a constant desire for innovation in the screenplay writing as well as in production, acting and directing. New strategies are developed in order to overcome production obstacles, particularly financial ones. Consequently, filmgoers will find that Latin American filmmaking does not employ a great deal of special effects. Instead the medium relies more upon the strength of screenplay, strong acting skills, and, often by the effective use of less expensive technical resources—natural light, hand-held cameras, and in some cases the efficient use of video instead of film.
Today Latin American film is among the best in the world. All this and more will be part of the Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano 2008 Fall Series named "Historias mínimas" (Simple Stories), with a special homage to Argentina for its outstanding film production. Also look out for a selection of unique films about women. Some films are adult in nature and may not be appropriate for young audiences. All films have english subtitles.
Film Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 27, 6:45pm - **Opening Reception** - Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
HISTORIAS MÍNIMAS - Argentina, 2002
Director: Carlos Sorín
Near the provincial town of San Julian, three vibrant characters undertake seemingly mundane journeys that turn out to be subtly life changing. A lonely, fastidious traveling salesman quests for the perfect cream cake to win the widow of his dreams. A grizzly grandfather hitchhikes to town to find his forgotten lost dog and seek forgiveness. A poor young mother hopes to win the grand prize--a microprocessor--as a contestant on a TV game show. In the end, the three will get more or less what they set out for, but it will come to them in ways that they never expected.
Two wins and seven nominations
September 3
SUBTERRA - Chile, 2003
Director: Marcelo Ferrari
In 1897, in Lota, Chile, in the face of long days, low pay, debts to the company store, unsafe and deadly working conditions, and widespread child labor, men try to establish a miners' association at one of the largest coal mines in the world. They must face Davis, an iron-fisted and murderous supervisor; there's at least one turncoat, willing to inform on their fellow workers; and, there are passions on all sides, including one between Fernando, a leader of the miners, and Virginia, the godchild of the mine's owners. Can the miners win a victory, and at what cost? Baldomero Lillo, a grocery clerk, records it all.Nine international wins
September 10HABANA BLUES - Spain, Cuba, France, 2005
Director: Benito Zambrano
Ruy and dreadlocked buddy Tito, the owner of a delicious red '52 Chevy, are the key members of Habana Blues, a band that plays rock-soul fusion. Ruy's commitment to his music means his relationship with Caridad (Yailene Sierra) is suffering: They have two kids and no cash, and she has dropped out of college to work. Tito lives with his spiky, cigar-smoking, ex-chanteuse grandmother, Luz Maria (the wonderful Zenia Marabal).
An enjoyably anarchic love letter to the never-say-die spirit of Cuba and to music as a way of life, "Habana Blues" is a vibrant portrayal of a group of musicians struggling to make the big time. Like all love letters, pic is part-inspirational, part self-indulgent, and overlong, and helmer Benito Zambrano's keen sense of emotional nuance -- as revealed in his 1999 debut "Alone" -- takes a backseat here.Nine wins and six nominations
September 17CASA DE AREIA (House of Sand) - Brazil, 2005
Director: Andrucha Waddington
Áurea arrives at a town in the dunes of State of Maranhão, Brazil, in 1910, having for female company only her mother Maria. She is pregnant and wants a way out of that arid place. But leaving is difficult and, somehow, she still hopes to find happiness there. The film follows these two lives for three generations, presenting Áurea's daughter and, later, her granddaughter.Eight wins and fifteen nominations
September 24EL MÉTODO - Argentina, Spain, Italy, 2005
Director: Marcelo Piñeyro
A multinational company in Madrid is the setting for Marcelo Pineyro's drama about a group of candidates vying for one executive position and the fierce competition that develops among them. The seven applicants quickly grow to distrust one another when they discover they're all aiming for the same position. Put through a grueling selection process, they endure feelings of fear and paranoia while going to extreme measures to land the job.Ten wins and twelve nominations
October 1
VALENTÍN - Argentina and Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, 2002
Director: Alejandro Agresti
On 1969, in Argentina, the eight-year-old Valentin is a boy that dreams to be an astronaut. He is raised by his poor widow grandmother Abuela, and is totally abandoned by his parents. His mother has apparently forgotten him, and his stupid father does not pay much attention on him. The smart, but needy kid missed his mother, and when his father introduces his new girlfriend Leticia, Valentin has a strong connection with her. Meanwhile his grandmother gets sick, and the boy tries to resolve all his family problems using his persuasion and viewpoint of life. He also tries to approach Leticia to his great friend and master Rufo.Thirteen wins and twelve nominationsOctober 825 WATTS - Uruguay, 2002
Directors: Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll
This affable low-budget affair from Uruguay captures a day in the life of three friends--Leche (Daniel Handler), Javi (Jorge Temponi), and Seba (Alfonso Tort)--as they bumble their way through a lazy, hungover Saturday in Montevideo. Along the way, they encounter a series of bizarre characters who remind them of just how unfocused and boring their lives actually are. Directed under the influence of American indie auteurs such as Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, 25 WATTS is a universally charming comedy.Ten wins and three nominations
October 15TEMPORADA DE PATOS - Mexico, 2004
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Flama and Moko are fourteen years old; they have been best friends since they were kids. They have everything they need to survive yet another boring Sunday: an apartment without parents, videogames, porn magazines, soft drinks and pizza delivery. The electricity company, Rita, the neighbor, Ulises, a pizza deliveryman, eleven seconds, the Real Madrid-Manchester game, some chocolate brownies and a horrible painting of ducks, all combine to break the harmony of what promised to be a placid Sunday, and reveal issues such as the parents' divorce, loneliness, the confusion between adolescent love and friendship, as well as frustration in adult life. "Temporada de Patos" is a movie that shows that, when the lights go off, we can see the stars.Twenty four wins and thirteen nominations
October 22LISTA DE ESPERA - Cuba, 2000
Director: Juan Carlos Tabío
A desperate group of people wait at a rundown Cuban transit station for the next bus to arrive. The problem is, it never shows up. While a number of busses pass by the station, and others that are either full or at the end of the line stop by, it soon becomes obvious that the bus everyone was waiting for has left them high and dry. While one of the would-be passengers, Emilio, uses his downtime to win the affections of the beautiful Jacqueline, most of the rest decide that if they're stuck without anywhere to go, they might as well make the station a better place to wait, and they begin forming a plan to turn the decrepit bus terminal into a showplace that people would look forward to visiting.Three wins and three nominations
October 29EU TU ELES - Brazil, 2000
Director: Andrucha Waddington
Darlene, earthy and unmarried, returns to the cane fields of Bahia with her young son. There, over time, she balances the pride, desire, jealousy, and tolerance of three men. Osias, an older man, proud of a house he's built, proposes marriage; she accepts. He retires to his hammock, she works hard, and in a few years births a second son, much darker than Osias. Then, he takes in his cousin Zezinho, almost as old as he, a good cook, so Osias is happy. Darlene smiles at Zezinho. Another son arrives, light-skinned like Zezinho. Next, Darlene meets Ciro, young and handsome, and invites him to dinner. Osias insists Ciro stay. When another son arrives, what will the proud Osias do?Twenty wins and seven nominations
November 5LAS DOCE SILLAS - Cuba, 1962
From aclaimed cuban film director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
When her country is taken over by socialist revolutionaries, a wealthy woman can't bear to give up all of her wealth and possessions to the new government, so she hides all of her treasures in the 12 chairs of a dining-room set. After her death her nephew finds out what she had done and, since the chairs had been "nationalized" and are now in the possession of a dozen different people, he sets out to track them down and get the treasures he believes rightfully belong to him.November 12CENIZAS DEL PARAÍSO - Argentina, 1997Director: Marcelo Piñeyro
This a top of the line police thriller, crossed with sibling/father rivalry drama, criminal who-done-it, and psychological character study. Quite unique really, the film is worthy of its impressive Argentine pedigree: directed by one of the country's greatest, and starring an ensemble of its best players. They range from its eldest living legend in the father/dead judge role to its most promising and popular young ones as the three sons. In between, the talent is just as impressive.Seven wins and ten nominations
November 19EL DIA QUE MURIO EL SILENCIO - Bolivia, Germany, 1998
Director: Paolo Agazzi
A rural Bolivian village, blissfully free from the harshness of the modern world, has its peaceful state disrupted when a mysterious stranger sets up a radio and loudspeakers in the town square and begins playing music and selling airtime to villagers to broadcast their gossip and secret desires. Before long, the town is awash in bitter rivalries, betrayals, and emotional overload. But is there more fiction than fact to the community's downfall? A satirical fable with "fine detail, fun characters, a fair amount of whimsy, a little sex, some terrific music, and an exciting finale" (Henry Cabot Beck, Film.com).November 26TEMPORADA DE PATOS - Mexico, 2004
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Flama and Moko are fourteen years old; they have been best friends since they were kids. They have everything they need to survive yet another boring Sunday: an apartment without parents, videogames, porn magazines, soft drinks and pizza delivery. The electricity company, Rita, the neighbor, Ulises, a pizza deliveryman, eleven seconds, the Real Madrid-Manchester game, some chocolate brownies and a horrible painting of ducks, all combine to break the harmony of what promised to be a placid Sunday, and reveal issues such as the parents' divorce, loneliness, the confusion between adolescent love and friendship, as well as frustration in adult life. "Temporada de Patos" is a movie that shows that, when the lights go off, we can see the stars.Twenty four awards and thirteen nominationsDecember 37:00 pm - **CLOSING RECEPTION**
7:30pm - THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION - Brazil, 2006
Director: Cao Hamburger
“The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” takes place in Brazil in 1970, when the country was ruled by a military dictatorship and its national soccer team, led by Pelé, was making its way toward the finals of the World Cup. Accordingly, sports and politics both play parts in this film, directed by Cao Hamburger, which filters the tumult and trauma of Brazilian history through the perceptions of a 12-year-old boy named Mauro. The film is most seductive when it focuses on the details of daily life in the lower-middle-class São Paulo neighborhood Bom Retiro. The rhythms of commerce, worship and domesticity — the sounds of apartment house courtyards, synagogues and shops — frequently overshadow what turns out to be a fairly conventional and sentimental story. — A. O. Scott, The New York Times
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Former Amigos del cine latinoamericano series:
Former Amigos del cine latinoamericano series:
Dir. Gloria Rolando, 2001
