Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has inked a three genre pic production deal with the Hj Production banner of Hugo Cardozo, writer-director-producer of 2019 Paraguayan smash-hit “Morgue.”
Paraguay-based, René Ruiz Díaz, CEO of Urban Achievers, who produced “Gold Seekers” from “7 Cajas” director Juan Carlos Maneglia, is also partnering on the deal.
Variety can reveal the teaser for the first of these “Do Not Enter” (“No Entres”), now in post, a found footage shock fest which FilmSharks founder Guido Run will introduce to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market by way of the teaser trailer.
Spanish-language, it records how two young YouTubers, Luciano and Cristian, who break into a sinister mansion in the jungle which is said to be haunted. In their fervent pursuit to satisfy their audience with ever more shocking content, they ignore their instincts. The teaser shows them grappling with their doubts but deciding to continue on because there...
Paraguay-based, René Ruiz Díaz, CEO of Urban Achievers, who produced “Gold Seekers” from “7 Cajas” director Juan Carlos Maneglia, is also partnering on the deal.
Variety can reveal the teaser for the first of these “Do Not Enter” (“No Entres”), now in post, a found footage shock fest which FilmSharks founder Guido Run will introduce to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market by way of the teaser trailer.
Spanish-language, it records how two young YouTubers, Luciano and Cristian, who break into a sinister mansion in the jungle which is said to be haunted. In their fervent pursuit to satisfy their audience with ever more shocking content, they ignore their instincts. The teaser shows them grappling with their doubts but deciding to continue on because there...
- 2/17/2023
- by John Hopewell and Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/11/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/11/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Paraguayan co-directors talk about their local box office smash.
Paraguay is not known for its theatrical output, which is why Juan Carols Maneglia and Tana Schembori, in Panama to present adventure The Gold Seekers (Los Buscadores), have earned a special place in their country’s sparse cinematic history.
When their feature debut and crime thriller 7 Boxes opened in 2012 it went on to become the highest grossing local film of all time. Five years later, the co-directors, friends and business partners returned with The Gold Seekers (Los Buscadores), which became the second highest grossing local film when it opened in their...
Paraguay is not known for its theatrical output, which is why Juan Carols Maneglia and Tana Schembori, in Panama to present adventure The Gold Seekers (Los Buscadores), have earned a special place in their country’s sparse cinematic history.
When their feature debut and crime thriller 7 Boxes opened in 2012 it went on to become the highest grossing local film of all time. Five years later, the co-directors, friends and business partners returned with The Gold Seekers (Los Buscadores), which became the second highest grossing local film when it opened in their...
- 4/10/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Line-up includes A Fantastic Woman, April’s Daughter
Lucrecia Martel’s Zama (pictured) and Laura Mora Ortega’s Killing Jesus (Argentina-Colombia) are among the Iberoamerican showcase at the upcoming seventh edition of the International Film Festival of Panama (Iff Panama).
The festival, set to run from April 5-11, will also screen previously announced Sebastian Lelio’s Oscar-nominated A Fantastic Woman and Michael Franco’s April’s Daughter (Mexico), as well as Alex de la Iglesia’s Perfectos Desconocidos (Spain), and Anahí Berneri’s Alanis (Argentina).
The Gold Seekers (Paraguay) by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, Marcela Said’s Los Perros (Chile-France), and Gustavo Rondón Córdova’s La Familia (Venezuela) are also included.
Previously announced selections (that will not screen in the Iberoamerican programme) include Ruben Ostlund’s The Square, and Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult, both of which are in contention for the best foreign-language Oscar on March 4
Iff Panama will run from April 5-11. Click...
Lucrecia Martel’s Zama (pictured) and Laura Mora Ortega’s Killing Jesus (Argentina-Colombia) are among the Iberoamerican showcase at the upcoming seventh edition of the International Film Festival of Panama (Iff Panama).
The festival, set to run from April 5-11, will also screen previously announced Sebastian Lelio’s Oscar-nominated A Fantastic Woman and Michael Franco’s April’s Daughter (Mexico), as well as Alex de la Iglesia’s Perfectos Desconocidos (Spain), and Anahí Berneri’s Alanis (Argentina).
The Gold Seekers (Paraguay) by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, Marcela Said’s Los Perros (Chile-France), and Gustavo Rondón Córdova’s La Familia (Venezuela) are also included.
Previously announced selections (that will not screen in the Iberoamerican programme) include Ruben Ostlund’s The Square, and Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult, both of which are in contention for the best foreign-language Oscar on March 4
Iff Panama will run from April 5-11. Click...
- 2/23/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Nearly everything about Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori’s 2012 debut 7 Boxes was good, and it duly won universal critical plaudits for its energy, its characters, its visuals and its grittiness. Stylistically, The Gold Seekers, its twisting, high-speed follow-up, is more of the same. But this is more explicitly comic, fluffier and more generic family-friendly fare, more knockabout and less focused. Though Paraguay’s foreign-language film Oscar submission could find offshore play at fests and in selected Spanish-speaking territories, elsewhere it seems unlikely to replicate 7 Boxes’ surprising breakout success.
Seekers is based on the Paraguayan legend that there’s buried...
Seekers is based on the Paraguayan legend that there’s buried...
- 10/22/2017
- by Jonathan Holland
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Mexico’s renowned Morbido Fest is moving forward with its latest brand extension as brass prepare to launch the long-awaited pay-tv channel backed by Alex Garcia’s Ag Studios and have set their sights on reaching Us audiences by late 2017.
Morbido Fest CEO Pablo Guisa Koestinger and Mexican genre master Adrián Garciá Bogliano are in Buenos Aires at the Ventana Sur market to secure rights from producers to a raft of new and catalogue horror, fantasy and sci-fi content.
Scherzo Diabolico and Here Comes The Devil director Bogliano acts as general coordinator of the channel, which is scheduled to launch in Mexico in two weeks and in March as an app-based streaming platform throughout Latin America, excluding Brazil.
Speaking on Wednesday on a genre festival panel at the market’s Blood Window sidebar, Koestinger said all films will play in their original language with subtitles.
Morbido TV plans to include Brazilian content once it can afford to provide...
Morbido Fest CEO Pablo Guisa Koestinger and Mexican genre master Adrián Garciá Bogliano are in Buenos Aires at the Ventana Sur market to secure rights from producers to a raft of new and catalogue horror, fantasy and sci-fi content.
Scherzo Diabolico and Here Comes The Devil director Bogliano acts as general coordinator of the channel, which is scheduled to launch in Mexico in two weeks and in March as an app-based streaming platform throughout Latin America, excluding Brazil.
Speaking on Wednesday on a genre festival panel at the market’s Blood Window sidebar, Koestinger said all films will play in their original language with subtitles.
Morbido TV plans to include Brazilian content once it can afford to provide...
- 11/30/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori startled the film world with their action thriller 7 Cajas (7 Boxes back in 2012, and they're ready to do it again with their long-awaited followup, Los Buscaderos (roughly translated as "The Searchers"). At Ventana Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Variety reports that FilmSharks Intl. has secured world sales rights to the film. Here's how Variety describes it: Los Buscaderos turns on a 21-year-old newspaper boy, Manu, who accidentally happens upon a map and old photo in a book given him by his grandfather, a former treasure hunter of "Plata Yvyguy," gold and jewels buried by families in Paraguay's 1864-70 War of the Triple Alliance and never retrieved as they fled the country. Identifying one treasure site with the...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/30/2016
- Screen Anarchy
7 Boxes
Written and directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori
Paraguay, 2012
Even within Latin America, Paraguayan cinema does not exactly dominate the cultural conversation and, sadly, remains something of a mystery. In fact, outside of Argentina, Brazil, and maybe Chile, the rest of South America, in cinematic terms, is mostly uncharted territory (which is not to say no movies are made there, but rather that international audiences, even open-minded cinephiles, don’t know much about them). With this in mind, the breakaway success of 7 Boxes, by Tana Schémbori and Juan Carlos Maneglia, is startling. Since premiering in 2012, it has nabbed prizes in San Sebastian and Mar del Plata; has featured in film festivals in Mexico, Cuba, Sweden, Canada, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic; and has earned critical accolades wherever it has been shown. It is also the highest grossing Paraguayan movie of all time. Nevertheless, it still took two...
Written and directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori
Paraguay, 2012
Even within Latin America, Paraguayan cinema does not exactly dominate the cultural conversation and, sadly, remains something of a mystery. In fact, outside of Argentina, Brazil, and maybe Chile, the rest of South America, in cinematic terms, is mostly uncharted territory (which is not to say no movies are made there, but rather that international audiences, even open-minded cinephiles, don’t know much about them). With this in mind, the breakaway success of 7 Boxes, by Tana Schémbori and Juan Carlos Maneglia, is startling. Since premiering in 2012, it has nabbed prizes in San Sebastian and Mar del Plata; has featured in film festivals in Mexico, Cuba, Sweden, Canada, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic; and has earned critical accolades wherever it has been shown. It is also the highest grossing Paraguayan movie of all time. Nevertheless, it still took two...
- 8/29/2014
- by Guido Pellegrini
- SoundOnSight
There is always a restless curiosity that comes from watching a film from a place foreign to one’s intellectual experience. This is not only referring to the geographical separation or even the cultural differences. A person could never set foot in Japan in their entire life and still be a loyal fan of Japanese cinema. Through film he creates a preconceived idea of what that society is like or what subjects its filmmakers are interested in. It is likely that due to the lack of this previous familiarity, watching a film from the South American country of Paraguay is such a fascinating revelation full of possibilities. There are no expectations or much material to compare it with in terms of it national identity, only the thematic or genre elements can resemble anything known.
In Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémborithe’s intense Paraguayan thriller 7 Boxes what stands out as the most striking quality is the filmmakers’ sense of time and their ability to use their primary location as an incredible asset. Inherently street-smart teenager Victor (Celso Franco) makes a living wheelbarrowing shopper’s groceries or merchants produce around one of the city’s major swap meets. It’s a rough and competitive world where criminal organizations and corruption reign. Not unlike other youngsters his age to whom technology is highly attractive, Victor wants to get his hands on a shinny new cell phone with video-recording capabilities. His interest with moving images on a screen is highlighted at various points in the story. But those devices are pricy and not widely available, if he wants one he must find a way to obtain the extra funds.
By being at the right- or perhaps wrong- place at the precise time, Victor manages to sneak in a job that was originally meant for his wheelbarrowing rival Nelson (Víctor Sosa), a desperate man in his 20s who needs the money to buy medicine for his son. What Victor’s new mission entails is to carry around 7 boxes with undisclosed contents for a few hours until he receives a call to bring them back to the local meat market, he is given a ripped half of a $100 bill, and is told he will receive the other half upon the completion of his journey. Taking place over the course of one single day, and with the action mostly contained in the swap meet, the kid’s decision to get involved with these untrustworthy individuals unravels a series of terribly violent circumstances.
Victor’s candid young friend/love interest Liz (Lali Gonzalez), will be his only ally in a cat-and-mouse game that includes the neighborhood thugs, a gang of wheelbarrowers, the son of a Chinese restaurant owner, and his own sister. Added to this the authorities are yet another group of predators who will try to solve the crime while simultaneously aiming to benefit financially from the situation. With all the odds against him Victor will have to prove he is astute enough to survive in such vicious urban jungle.
Intense and intelligently written the film is a revelation that utilizes high-speed chases and great editing to create increasingly higher stakes for its characters. Thrillers like this could easily fall into a repetitive pattern of well-known plot antics that add to nothing but clichés. This is not the case. The filmmakers chose to reveal the boxes’ contents early on in the film making it not simply a quest in search of the payoff from a final revelation, but instead a film about all the stories that collide via their shared desperation. On the other hand, although effective in creating a disorienting and intriguing mood, its visual style that mixes a fast-paced unique Pov with more conventional cinematography feels disjointed because of the sharp differences. Another unclear element is the inclusion of vividly ethereal music. Despite being interesting and evocative, this choice seems rather unfitting at times, its existence only appears to be coherent during the final sequence.
There are definitely too many subplots and creative twists to discuss without revealing too much, still, 7 Boxes is a promising example of using tested genre elements and adapting them into a new context to create an engaging piece. It certainly will leave audiences wondering what other stories will come out from the talented minds of these, and future Paraguayan directors.
In Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémborithe’s intense Paraguayan thriller 7 Boxes what stands out as the most striking quality is the filmmakers’ sense of time and their ability to use their primary location as an incredible asset. Inherently street-smart teenager Victor (Celso Franco) makes a living wheelbarrowing shopper’s groceries or merchants produce around one of the city’s major swap meets. It’s a rough and competitive world where criminal organizations and corruption reign. Not unlike other youngsters his age to whom technology is highly attractive, Victor wants to get his hands on a shinny new cell phone with video-recording capabilities. His interest with moving images on a screen is highlighted at various points in the story. But those devices are pricy and not widely available, if he wants one he must find a way to obtain the extra funds.
By being at the right- or perhaps wrong- place at the precise time, Victor manages to sneak in a job that was originally meant for his wheelbarrowing rival Nelson (Víctor Sosa), a desperate man in his 20s who needs the money to buy medicine for his son. What Victor’s new mission entails is to carry around 7 boxes with undisclosed contents for a few hours until he receives a call to bring them back to the local meat market, he is given a ripped half of a $100 bill, and is told he will receive the other half upon the completion of his journey. Taking place over the course of one single day, and with the action mostly contained in the swap meet, the kid’s decision to get involved with these untrustworthy individuals unravels a series of terribly violent circumstances.
Victor’s candid young friend/love interest Liz (Lali Gonzalez), will be his only ally in a cat-and-mouse game that includes the neighborhood thugs, a gang of wheelbarrowers, the son of a Chinese restaurant owner, and his own sister. Added to this the authorities are yet another group of predators who will try to solve the crime while simultaneously aiming to benefit financially from the situation. With all the odds against him Victor will have to prove he is astute enough to survive in such vicious urban jungle.
Intense and intelligently written the film is a revelation that utilizes high-speed chases and great editing to create increasingly higher stakes for its characters. Thrillers like this could easily fall into a repetitive pattern of well-known plot antics that add to nothing but clichés. This is not the case. The filmmakers chose to reveal the boxes’ contents early on in the film making it not simply a quest in search of the payoff from a final revelation, but instead a film about all the stories that collide via their shared desperation. On the other hand, although effective in creating a disorienting and intriguing mood, its visual style that mixes a fast-paced unique Pov with more conventional cinematography feels disjointed because of the sharp differences. Another unclear element is the inclusion of vividly ethereal music. Despite being interesting and evocative, this choice seems rather unfitting at times, its existence only appears to be coherent during the final sequence.
There are definitely too many subplots and creative twists to discuss without revealing too much, still, 7 Boxes is a promising example of using tested genre elements and adapting them into a new context to create an engaging piece. It certainly will leave audiences wondering what other stories will come out from the talented minds of these, and future Paraguayan directors.
- 2/12/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Marvelous footchases over, under, and through the stalls of a sprawling Asunción marketplace invigorate this twisty life-on-the-streets crime thriller, but it's Paraguayan directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori's adept human touch that makes those freewheeling sprints so marvelously tense. (Or simply marvelous, in the case of one flirtatious dash in which two teenagers court by racing to a public square.)
Likable hero Victor (Celso Franco) dreams young-man dreams as he scratches out a living hauling goods about in his wheelbarrow; he aches to be somebody, to have a cellphone that shoots video, to lean in and kiss some beauty like the men do on the TVs hung up all over his city.
How fortunate, then, that he lucks into the kind of adventure that ...
Likable hero Victor (Celso Franco) dreams young-man dreams as he scratches out a living hauling goods about in his wheelbarrow; he aches to be somebody, to have a cellphone that shoots video, to lean in and kiss some beauty like the men do on the TVs hung up all over his city.
How fortunate, then, that he lucks into the kind of adventure that ...
- 2/5/2014
- Village Voice
Now that a new year is upon us let's reflect back on 2013. Something like a year in Latino film. Latin American filmmakers continued to kill it on the international film festival circuit. Chile, in particular, has been conquering the world one film festival award at a time.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 1/1/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
In order to promote the cinema and filmmaking talent of Mexico and Ibero-America, the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg), the University of Guadalajara and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the U.S. present Ficg in La, a selection of the most outstanding films of 2013's Ficg. Ficg in La will be held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood November 1-3, 2013.Featuring outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG28, which ran from March 1-9, 2013, Ficg in La will offer the premiere of other titles that have emerged in the world of cinema throughout the year to great critical acclaim. The aim of the festival is increasing access and visibility of Mexican and Latin American cinema in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, creating a space for collaboration between filmmakers and strengthening relationships between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.
Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists. "It is an honor and a great responsibility to direct Ficg in La and to join the mission of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg) –which is close to its 30th anniversary – whose main purpose is to promote Mexican and Latin American cinema, expand the audience for these films, contribute to the careers of new filmmakers, and to serve as liaison between Latin American cinema and the international film industry " said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La, who since 2011 has collaborated as the Guest Programmer for the Maguey Award section, which focuses on films about sexual diversity.
Part of the significance in increasing the presence of Ficg in La is that the state of California has a concentration of 14 million Latinos, of which about 12 million are Mexican or Mexican-American. Of the nearly 5 million residing in metropolitan Los Angeles and Long Beach area, nearly half originate from the State of Jalisco, revealing a strong cultural connection between its capital, Guadalajara, and the city of Los Angeles. "Ficg in La is a gateway to Latin American cinema in Hollywood and also for Latino filmmakers to forge a relationship with the Guadalajara International Film Festival and claim it as their home,” said Ivan Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg. Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions include: Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Everardo González, Emilio Maille, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.
Ficg in La 2013 marks the beginning of a joint venture with Ambulante, the nonprofit organization founded by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz, dedicated to supporting documentary filmmaking as an important tool for cultural and social transformation. Ambulante will present the Los Angeles premiere of the Mexican documentary Quebranto (Disrupt), directed by Roberto Fiesco, who received a Special Jury Award in the Ibero-American Competition and was the winner of ther Maguey Award (FICG28), and more recently the Premio Sebastiane Latino Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Ambulante will receive a special recognition for its outstanding contribution to promoting documentaries and documentary filmmakers since 2005.
Finally, in light of recent events in Mexico, our work this year wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t join the efforts to assist the communities severely affected by the tropical storms. Ficg in La has decided to donate all ticket sale proceeds to help rebuild these communities in need. Ficg in La is presented by the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the University of Guadalajara, University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States, and is supported by the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles. Ficg’s institutional sponsors include Conaculta, the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), the Government of the State of Jalisco, Cultura Udg, Channel 44, as well as the municipalities of Guadalajara and Zapopan.
Ficg in L.A. Film Lineup 2013
Guadalajara International Film Festival In Los Angeles -- Ficg in La has announced the program for its third annual edition in Los Angeles. The festival will take place in Los Angeles from November 1-3, 2013 at the Egyptian Theater. The 3 day festival will showcase outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG28, which was held earlier this year in Guadalajara.
The entire program can be found at: www.ficginla.com
The Opening Night Presentation (November 1, 2013) will be the Us Premiere of Francisco Franco’s Tercera Llamada (Last Call) and it will be screened following the Ficg in La Awards Presentation to actor Fernando Luján for achievement in his career including his work in Tercera Llamada, to journalist, film critic, and television presenter, Juan Carlos Arciniegas for his contributions to the Latin entertainment community’s presence in the media. The additional award recipients for career achievement are cinematographer Gabriel Beristain and composer Emilio Kauderer. The final award will be presented to the non-profit organization, Ambulante for its work supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. A Gala reception in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theater will follow the film screening.
The Closing Night Presentation (November 3, 2013) Besos de Azucar (Sugar Kisses) is the West Coast Premiere of Carlos Cuaron’s film. Ficg in La will be the Us premiere for Levantamiertos, Soy Mucho Mejor Que Vos (I'm Better Than You), Puerto Padre (Port Father) and El Santos Vs La Tetona Mendoza (El Santos Vs The Busty Mendoza). Las Mariposas de Sadourni (Sadourni's Butterflies), Quebranto, and 7 Cajas (7 Boxes) will all have their Los Angeles premieres at Ficg in La.
This year’s Ficg in La films are as follows:
Features
7 Cajas (7 Boxes) -Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori
Paraguay, 100 min
Besos De Azucar (Sugar Kisses) – Carlos Cuarón
Mexico, 87 min
El Santos Vs La Tetona Mendoza
(El Santos Vs The Busty Mendoza) -Andrés Couturier, Alejandro Lozano
Mexico, 96 min
Las Mariposas De Sadourni (Sadourni's Butterflies ) -Dario Nardi
Argentina, 94 min
Levantamuertos - Miguel Nuñez
Mexico/USA, 82 min
Puerto Padre (Port Father) - Gustavo Fallas
Costa Rica/Mexico, 86 min
Purgatorio - Rodrigo Reyes
Mexico, 80 min
Quebranto (Disrupted) - Roberto Fiesco
Mexico, 92 min
Soy Mucho Mejor Que Vos - (I'm Better Than You) – Che Sandoval
Chile, 85 min
Tercera Llamada (Last Call) -Francisco Franco
Mexico, 92 min
Workers -José Luis Valle
Mexico, 120 min
Shorts
Rigo Mora Award Winning Shorts
Mexico, 73 min
Tickets Available At: https://ficginla.eventbrite.com
Ticket Price
Opening Night Gala, Recognition Awards Ceremony & Reception - $ 30
Closing Night Gala and Regular Screenings - $ 9
Please call 661-724-0807 if you have any questions about how to purchase your ticket to Ficg in La.
The proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to flood victims in Mexico.
About Ficg in La
Ficg in La is a window into the world of contemporary Mexican and Ibero-American cinema and it is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival. This year′s Ficg in La will take place at Hollywood′s historic Egyptian Theatre, right in the heart of the worldwide film and entertainment industry. The festival is designed for people to come and explore the diverse regional narratives of Mexican and Ibero-America cinema, and to help critically acclaimed films from these regions reach a wider audience. Los Angeles provides an essential backdrop for the showcase to take place because of its strong cultural ties to Latin American communities all across the globe. The festival is presented by the University of Guadalajara, the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA and the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
This year’s sponsors of Ficg in La include Cultura Udg, LeaLA Spanish Book Fair in Los Angeles, Udg TV, The National Council for Culture and The Arts, and the Mexican Consulate General. In addition, this year, Ficg in La is partnering with local organizations and consulates who embrace independent film and the goals of Ficg in La. Those partners include Film Independent, Project Involve, Outfest, The Argentinian Consulate General, The Chilean Consulate General, and the Asociación de Egresados del la Universidad de Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
www.ficginla.com
Expected to attend this year’s festival are:
The Cast of Tercera Llamada – Opening Night Film –
Audience Award and Best Actress - Female Ensemble - Ficg 28
Irene Azuela, Fernando Luján, Mariana Treviño
Francisco Franco Director,
Laura Imperiale Producer
Comic book artists Trino (José Trinidad Camacho Orozco) and Jis (José Ignacio Solórzano)
The artists behind The Santos vs.'s Busty Mendoza based on the famous comic strip characters of the same name.
Carlos Cuarón - The Director of Sugar Kisses - Besos de Azúcar - Closing Night Film
About Ficg
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 29th edition March 21-29, 2014. Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles. U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
About Ambulante
Ambulante A.C., a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz, is dedicated to supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Ambulante travels to places where documentary films and training are limited with the purpose of creating engaged, critical and well-informed audiences. Each year, a documentary film festival travels with the support of Canana, Cinepolis, and the Morelia International Film Festival, covering several states in Mexico for 3 months, with an international showcase of over 100 documentaries, some 120 special guests, at over 150 venues.
For more information call 310.951.9797 or visit www.ficginla.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ficg-in-la/1427478980805851
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FICGinLA
Media Contact
Kc Mancebo
Clamorhouse
310-614-6036
kcm[At]clamorhouse.com
press[At]ficginla.com
Hebe Tabachnik
310-951-9797
hebe[At]ficginla.com...
Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists. "It is an honor and a great responsibility to direct Ficg in La and to join the mission of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg) –which is close to its 30th anniversary – whose main purpose is to promote Mexican and Latin American cinema, expand the audience for these films, contribute to the careers of new filmmakers, and to serve as liaison between Latin American cinema and the international film industry " said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La, who since 2011 has collaborated as the Guest Programmer for the Maguey Award section, which focuses on films about sexual diversity.
Part of the significance in increasing the presence of Ficg in La is that the state of California has a concentration of 14 million Latinos, of which about 12 million are Mexican or Mexican-American. Of the nearly 5 million residing in metropolitan Los Angeles and Long Beach area, nearly half originate from the State of Jalisco, revealing a strong cultural connection between its capital, Guadalajara, and the city of Los Angeles. "Ficg in La is a gateway to Latin American cinema in Hollywood and also for Latino filmmakers to forge a relationship with the Guadalajara International Film Festival and claim it as their home,” said Ivan Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg. Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions include: Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Everardo González, Emilio Maille, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.
Ficg in La 2013 marks the beginning of a joint venture with Ambulante, the nonprofit organization founded by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz, dedicated to supporting documentary filmmaking as an important tool for cultural and social transformation. Ambulante will present the Los Angeles premiere of the Mexican documentary Quebranto (Disrupt), directed by Roberto Fiesco, who received a Special Jury Award in the Ibero-American Competition and was the winner of ther Maguey Award (FICG28), and more recently the Premio Sebastiane Latino Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Ambulante will receive a special recognition for its outstanding contribution to promoting documentaries and documentary filmmakers since 2005.
Finally, in light of recent events in Mexico, our work this year wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t join the efforts to assist the communities severely affected by the tropical storms. Ficg in La has decided to donate all ticket sale proceeds to help rebuild these communities in need. Ficg in La is presented by the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the University of Guadalajara, University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States, and is supported by the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles. Ficg’s institutional sponsors include Conaculta, the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), the Government of the State of Jalisco, Cultura Udg, Channel 44, as well as the municipalities of Guadalajara and Zapopan.
Ficg in L.A. Film Lineup 2013
Guadalajara International Film Festival In Los Angeles -- Ficg in La has announced the program for its third annual edition in Los Angeles. The festival will take place in Los Angeles from November 1-3, 2013 at the Egyptian Theater. The 3 day festival will showcase outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG28, which was held earlier this year in Guadalajara.
The entire program can be found at: www.ficginla.com
The Opening Night Presentation (November 1, 2013) will be the Us Premiere of Francisco Franco’s Tercera Llamada (Last Call) and it will be screened following the Ficg in La Awards Presentation to actor Fernando Luján for achievement in his career including his work in Tercera Llamada, to journalist, film critic, and television presenter, Juan Carlos Arciniegas for his contributions to the Latin entertainment community’s presence in the media. The additional award recipients for career achievement are cinematographer Gabriel Beristain and composer Emilio Kauderer. The final award will be presented to the non-profit organization, Ambulante for its work supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. A Gala reception in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theater will follow the film screening.
The Closing Night Presentation (November 3, 2013) Besos de Azucar (Sugar Kisses) is the West Coast Premiere of Carlos Cuaron’s film. Ficg in La will be the Us premiere for Levantamiertos, Soy Mucho Mejor Que Vos (I'm Better Than You), Puerto Padre (Port Father) and El Santos Vs La Tetona Mendoza (El Santos Vs The Busty Mendoza). Las Mariposas de Sadourni (Sadourni's Butterflies), Quebranto, and 7 Cajas (7 Boxes) will all have their Los Angeles premieres at Ficg in La.
This year’s Ficg in La films are as follows:
Features
7 Cajas (7 Boxes) -Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori
Paraguay, 100 min
Besos De Azucar (Sugar Kisses) – Carlos Cuarón
Mexico, 87 min
El Santos Vs La Tetona Mendoza
(El Santos Vs The Busty Mendoza) -Andrés Couturier, Alejandro Lozano
Mexico, 96 min
Las Mariposas De Sadourni (Sadourni's Butterflies ) -Dario Nardi
Argentina, 94 min
Levantamuertos - Miguel Nuñez
Mexico/USA, 82 min
Puerto Padre (Port Father) - Gustavo Fallas
Costa Rica/Mexico, 86 min
Purgatorio - Rodrigo Reyes
Mexico, 80 min
Quebranto (Disrupted) - Roberto Fiesco
Mexico, 92 min
Soy Mucho Mejor Que Vos - (I'm Better Than You) – Che Sandoval
Chile, 85 min
Tercera Llamada (Last Call) -Francisco Franco
Mexico, 92 min
Workers -José Luis Valle
Mexico, 120 min
Shorts
Rigo Mora Award Winning Shorts
Mexico, 73 min
Tickets Available At: https://ficginla.eventbrite.com
Ticket Price
Opening Night Gala, Recognition Awards Ceremony & Reception - $ 30
Closing Night Gala and Regular Screenings - $ 9
Please call 661-724-0807 if you have any questions about how to purchase your ticket to Ficg in La.
The proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to flood victims in Mexico.
About Ficg in La
Ficg in La is a window into the world of contemporary Mexican and Ibero-American cinema and it is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival. This year′s Ficg in La will take place at Hollywood′s historic Egyptian Theatre, right in the heart of the worldwide film and entertainment industry. The festival is designed for people to come and explore the diverse regional narratives of Mexican and Ibero-America cinema, and to help critically acclaimed films from these regions reach a wider audience. Los Angeles provides an essential backdrop for the showcase to take place because of its strong cultural ties to Latin American communities all across the globe. The festival is presented by the University of Guadalajara, the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA and the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
This year’s sponsors of Ficg in La include Cultura Udg, LeaLA Spanish Book Fair in Los Angeles, Udg TV, The National Council for Culture and The Arts, and the Mexican Consulate General. In addition, this year, Ficg in La is partnering with local organizations and consulates who embrace independent film and the goals of Ficg in La. Those partners include Film Independent, Project Involve, Outfest, The Argentinian Consulate General, The Chilean Consulate General, and the Asociación de Egresados del la Universidad de Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
www.ficginla.com
Expected to attend this year’s festival are:
The Cast of Tercera Llamada – Opening Night Film –
Audience Award and Best Actress - Female Ensemble - Ficg 28
Irene Azuela, Fernando Luján, Mariana Treviño
Francisco Franco Director,
Laura Imperiale Producer
Comic book artists Trino (José Trinidad Camacho Orozco) and Jis (José Ignacio Solórzano)
The artists behind The Santos vs.'s Busty Mendoza based on the famous comic strip characters of the same name.
Carlos Cuarón - The Director of Sugar Kisses - Besos de Azúcar - Closing Night Film
About Ficg
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 29th edition March 21-29, 2014. Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles. U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
About Ambulante
Ambulante A.C., a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz, is dedicated to supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Ambulante travels to places where documentary films and training are limited with the purpose of creating engaged, critical and well-informed audiences. Each year, a documentary film festival travels with the support of Canana, Cinepolis, and the Morelia International Film Festival, covering several states in Mexico for 3 months, with an international showcase of over 100 documentaries, some 120 special guests, at over 150 venues.
For more information call 310.951.9797 or visit www.ficginla.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ficg-in-la/1427478980805851
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FICGinLA
Media Contact
Kc Mancebo
Clamorhouse
310-614-6036
kcm[At]clamorhouse.com
press[At]ficginla.com
Hebe Tabachnik
310-951-9797
hebe[At]ficginla.com...
- 10/28/2013
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Organisers at the Rio Film Festival have brought in an extra 11 titles ahead of the September 26 opening night gala screening of Thierry Ragobert’s Amazonia 3D.
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award.
Latin PremièreIl...
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award.
Latin PremièreIl...
- 9/18/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Organisers at the Festival do Rio, the Rio Film Festival, have brought in an extra 11 titles ahead of the September 26 opening night gala screening of Thierry Ragobert’s France-Brazil co-production Amazonia 3D.
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award...
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award...
- 9/18/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Emir Baigazin’s Harmony Lessons won the 39th Seattle International Film Festival’s Best New Director grand jury prize on Sunday [9] as top brass handed out jury and audience awards.Scroll down for full list of winners
The Siff 2013 Best Documentary grand jury prize went to Penny Lane’s Our Nixon and Lucy Walker earned a special jury prize for The Crash Reel, while Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the Best New American Cinema grand jury prize for C.O.G.
In the audience awards, Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola won the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom took the corresponding documentary prize.
The Best Director Golden Space Needle Award went to Nabil Ayouch for Horses Of God, while best actor was awarded to James Cromwell for Still Mine and best actress to Samantha Morton for Decoding Annie Parker.
The Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award was presented to [link...
The Siff 2013 Best Documentary grand jury prize went to Penny Lane’s Our Nixon and Lucy Walker earned a special jury prize for The Crash Reel, while Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the Best New American Cinema grand jury prize for C.O.G.
In the audience awards, Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola won the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom took the corresponding documentary prize.
The Best Director Golden Space Needle Award went to Nabil Ayouch for Horses Of God, while best actor was awarded to James Cromwell for Still Mine and best actress to Samantha Morton for Decoding Annie Parker.
The Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award was presented to [link...
- 6/9/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
This year started off with a Bang (with a capital 'B') for Latino film festivals. Although Latino representation at Miami is a given, it wasn't as obvious at Sundance as in previous years and is a ghost town at Tribeca leaving SXSW, as always, to pick up the slack for the “mainstream” festivals. But, it was the Latino film festivals that really pushed the rainbow of Latino cinema upon the festival landscape. San Diego Latino (Sdlff) had, in my opinion, its strongest lineup in many years. They celebrated their 20th anniversary by showcasing classics that Sdlff had screened over the years, giving the audience a chance to fall in love with them on the big screen all over again. CineFestival in Tejas, who has always played by the beat of their own drum, dropped the mic on everyone by announcing the Latino Writers Project Lab, a collaboration with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, which will give filmmakers telling 'American Latino' stories a venue to have their projects mentored. Next up we have three diverse festivals with the Chicago Latino Film Festival celebrating its 29th year, Cine Las Americas in Austin, TX who very much embody their local community with an 'Hecho en Texas' and Youth specific programs, and then there's a new kid on the block in Philly, the Filadelfia Latin American Film Festival. In only its 2nd year, they have put together a two day event to bring Latino films to an underserved vibrant city. LatinoBuzz painstakingly selected our personal top picks that we think are a “must-see.” But don't just take our word for it, check out their websites for full listings and see for yourself how fly Latino cinema really is!
Chicago Latino Film Festival
The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas (La Vida Precoz y Breve de Sabina Rivas) – Mexico
Dir. Luis Mandoki
Honduran teenager Sabina Rivas intends to get to the United States, harboring dreams of becoming a famous singer and distancing herself from her former young lover, Jovany, now a vicious gang member.
The Wild Ones (Los niños salvajes) – Spain
Dir. Patricia Ferreira
Alex, Oky and Gabi are three angry, misunderstood teens from Barcelona who have to deal with parents who have completely forgotten that they too were once teens; parents who, on most occasions, blame their children for their unfulfilled dreams. The trio has dreams and ambitions of their own and they love to test the limits imposed by society. But push comes to shove and Oky commits an unforgivable act that will leave many in shock in this thoughtful and sober drama.
Nevertheless (Y Sin Embargo) - Cuba
Dir. Rudy Mora
Lapatun is late for his math exam at a music school; to justify his tardiness he invents a wild story about having seen a UFO and spoken with its crew. The school is turned upside down by Lapatun’s claims; with some students demanding his expulsion and some teachers questioning the role creativity plays in a child’s education.
Cine Las Americas
Dust (Polvo) – Guatemala
Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón
In a small Guatemalan village where many were "disappeared" during the country's civil war, a troubled young man struggles with the memory of his murdered father — and the nearby presence of the man who turned his father in.
From Tuesday To Sunday (De Jueves A Domingo) – Chile
Dir. Dominga Sotomayor
Two children travel with their parents from Santiago Chile to the north of Chile for a family holiday. The landscape's loneliness and the car's confinement help bring out the couple's troubles and the children learn that this might turn out to be their father's farewell and their last family vacation.
Delusions of Grandeur – USA
Dir. Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos
In the mid-1990s a medicated grungy girl stopped taking her medication (Prozac), crossed over a rainbow, and became a woman in a crazy, wonderful place called San Francisco. Lulu, Rocio, and Illusion are struggling with the sexuality and gender roles that we all play. It is said that there is someone for everyone, and the heroines in this story put that theory to the test in a city with a history of love at its core - but will they respect themselves in the morning?
Filadelfia Latin American Film Festival
Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos) – Chile
Dir. Andres Wood
Violeta Went To Heaven tells the story of the iconic Chilean singer and folklorist Violeta Parra, tracing her evolution from impoverished child to international sensation and Chile's national hero, while capturing the swirling intensity of her inner contradictions, fallibilities, and passions.
Lemon – USA
Dir. Laura Brownson, Beth Levison
Three-time felon. One-time Tony award winner. Lemon Andersen is a pioneering poet whose words speak for a generation. But Lemon has landed back in the 'hood, living in the projects with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. So he turns to the only thing he has left, his pen and his past
7 Boxes (7 Cajas) – Paraguay
Dir. Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbor
Víctor receives an unusual proposal, to carry 7 boxes of unknown content through the Market Number 4 but things get complicated along the way.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Chicago Latino Film Festival
The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas (La Vida Precoz y Breve de Sabina Rivas) – Mexico
Dir. Luis Mandoki
Honduran teenager Sabina Rivas intends to get to the United States, harboring dreams of becoming a famous singer and distancing herself from her former young lover, Jovany, now a vicious gang member.
The Wild Ones (Los niños salvajes) – Spain
Dir. Patricia Ferreira
Alex, Oky and Gabi are three angry, misunderstood teens from Barcelona who have to deal with parents who have completely forgotten that they too were once teens; parents who, on most occasions, blame their children for their unfulfilled dreams. The trio has dreams and ambitions of their own and they love to test the limits imposed by society. But push comes to shove and Oky commits an unforgivable act that will leave many in shock in this thoughtful and sober drama.
Nevertheless (Y Sin Embargo) - Cuba
Dir. Rudy Mora
Lapatun is late for his math exam at a music school; to justify his tardiness he invents a wild story about having seen a UFO and spoken with its crew. The school is turned upside down by Lapatun’s claims; with some students demanding his expulsion and some teachers questioning the role creativity plays in a child’s education.
Cine Las Americas
Dust (Polvo) – Guatemala
Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón
In a small Guatemalan village where many were "disappeared" during the country's civil war, a troubled young man struggles with the memory of his murdered father — and the nearby presence of the man who turned his father in.
From Tuesday To Sunday (De Jueves A Domingo) – Chile
Dir. Dominga Sotomayor
Two children travel with their parents from Santiago Chile to the north of Chile for a family holiday. The landscape's loneliness and the car's confinement help bring out the couple's troubles and the children learn that this might turn out to be their father's farewell and their last family vacation.
Delusions of Grandeur – USA
Dir. Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos
In the mid-1990s a medicated grungy girl stopped taking her medication (Prozac), crossed over a rainbow, and became a woman in a crazy, wonderful place called San Francisco. Lulu, Rocio, and Illusion are struggling with the sexuality and gender roles that we all play. It is said that there is someone for everyone, and the heroines in this story put that theory to the test in a city with a history of love at its core - but will they respect themselves in the morning?
Filadelfia Latin American Film Festival
Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta Se Fue A Los Cielos) – Chile
Dir. Andres Wood
Violeta Went To Heaven tells the story of the iconic Chilean singer and folklorist Violeta Parra, tracing her evolution from impoverished child to international sensation and Chile's national hero, while capturing the swirling intensity of her inner contradictions, fallibilities, and passions.
Lemon – USA
Dir. Laura Brownson, Beth Levison
Three-time felon. One-time Tony award winner. Lemon Andersen is a pioneering poet whose words speak for a generation. But Lemon has landed back in the 'hood, living in the projects with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. So he turns to the only thing he has left, his pen and his past
7 Boxes (7 Cajas) – Paraguay
Dir. Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbor
Víctor receives an unusual proposal, to carry 7 boxes of unknown content through the Market Number 4 but things get complicated along the way.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 4/17/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
It’s Cuba! Where else would The Havana International Film Festival’s Opening and Closing Night take place except in The Karl Marx Theater? Opening with music by Cuba’s greatest salsa group, Los Van Van, the 34th edition is still headed by its founder and Fidel Castro’s teacher in Communism, Alfredo Guevara, who dedicated this edition to the new generation of filmmakers which represents the future of cinema. The 10 day festival showcased a broad range of new and not-so-new films from Cuba, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Peru and fellow Caribbean nations, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Curacao and others whose cinema is being aided by their governments and whose youth is creating a new international cinema with the support of Europe and even, sometimes, Asia.
While this edition paid homage to the youth, also present and recalled were the members of the generations from the ‘60s like Aldo Francia, Chileans Miguel Littin, Patricio Guzman, Jorge Sanjines, Fernado Birri, Fernando Solano, Cacho Pallero, Santiago Alvarez, Glauber Roch, Carlos Diegues, Leon Hizsman, Juaquim Pedro, Tomas Guierrez Alea, Mario Handler, Walter Achugar and many others who in the years ‘67 and ‘68 were themselves inspired by such luminaries as Joris Ivens. Together they were the originators of the phenomenon El Cine de America Latina or New Latin American Cinema influenced mainly by Italian neorealism and other movements of social cinema. Its function was to go against U.S. models and to illuminate the troubled realities of Latin America in the hope of restoring cinema of the continent. Its key moment was the meeting of Latin American Cinema 1967 , which had its impetus in the Chilean Aldo Francia , the Cinema Club of Viña del Mar , the Cuban Alfredo Guevara, the Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Film (Icaic) and the Argentine Edgardo Pallero.
Illuminaries such as Annette Benning whose film The Kids are All Right was screening there and Hawk Koch, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, wrote fan letters to Fidel and Raoul and then mixed and caught up with the top critics and journalists of Latin America and festival participants in the gardens of the Hotel Nacional. Miguel Litten and spouse, the parents of Chile’s Christina Littin, one of Chile’s current top producer/ distributors, were often seen there. Their presence reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s book Clandestine in Chile about the time when Miguel disguised himself to reenter Pinochet’s Chile from whence he had been exiled. So many stories of exile and return mark the modern history of Latin America.
The first day of the Havana festival was devoted to Eictv, the international film school that Gabriel Garcia Marquez founded in 1986 with his Nobel Prize money on land donated by Cuba. Today it is headed by Rafael Rosal who in his own country, Guatemala, set up the first infrastructure for a film industry – a film school, a film festival and production facilities.
Eictv has a student body from everywhere in Latin America, Europe and even from North America. Last year as the emissary for Woodbury University in Burbank CA, I brought them their first agreement with a U.S. institution and exchanges between students and staff have already begun, bringing TV documentary filmmaker Rolando Almirante for a second time to teach documentaries.
Eictv’s event at the Festival de Cine Nuevo en Habana is Nuevas Miradas, 12 chosen projects whose producers and directors present themselves to the industry and compete for three awards.
Coincidently with the lateness of this blog which I wrote from the Palm Springs International Film Festival -- some of Eictv’s staff’s and students’ films were among Psff’s 22 Latino projects vying for the Cine Latino Prize being offered by Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara. This fact along shows a new unity of purpose among the Latino countries and their festivals (Cuba, Guadalajara and Palm Springs, which as part of the Coachella Valley, has the largest Latino population in the United States.) Among the 22 candidates for Psff’s Best Iberoamerican film were Clandestine Childhood (Argentina/ Brazil/Spain) by Benjamín Ávila, who was the coordinator of Fiction at Eictv and screenwriter Marcelo Muller also participated in Eictv; La Voz Dormida (España) of the emerging filmmaker Benito Zambrano, and 7 Boxes (Paraguay) co-directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia, a student in many of the workshops of Eictv. Eictv considers this exchange of ideas and talents as globally important.
The winners of Nuevas Miradas should be watched as one or several reach fruition. Last year The Visitor (Chile) won and has since raised the budget for a feature length film debut.
The projects, Un Viejo Traje, Moora Moora directed by Australian Rhiannon Stevens and produced by Chilean Esme Joffre, Tus padres volverán directed by Uruguayan Pablo Martínez and produced by Virginia Hinze, Cocodrilos tomando el sol, Cuerpos Celestes by Mexican director Lorena Padilla and producer Liliana Bravo, Revolución de las polleras by Bolivian director Sergio Estrada and producer Valeria Ponce received recognition and free software from Assimilate.
The documentary, Un Viejo Traje (aka The Old Suit), by Cuban director Damián Saínz (a student of Eictv) and producer Viana González received a $2,000 prize.
Fiction project, Cocodrilos tomando el sol, directed by Colombian Carlos Rojas and the Venezuelan producer Carolina Graterol, received a $1,000 prize and a course in directing at Eictv.
A film package for those interested in Cuban film programming
Ann Cross, a Scottish woman married to a Trinidadian is always in Havana. She programs the best selection of current Cuban features for U.K. distribution. This year she gave me this list of her favorites and many people concurred with her.
Y sin embargo (aka Nevertheless) by Rudy Mora also won the Beijing Film Festival prize which is surprising in that it is about school children challenging the school system, and challenging any systems in China (and perhaps in Cuba as well) is highly problematic. The child actors are exceptional. The type of burlesque comedy is typical of Cuba. Produced and Isa (international sales agent) is the Cuban government film group Icaic.
Irredemediablemente Juntos (aka Irredeemably Together) by Jorge Luis Sanchez Gonzalez is brave and challenging. Purportedly about classical music and Cuban music and the conflict between the two, it is really about race and the synthesis between black and white, Cuban and European Classical is reached in the story.
Cresciendo en la musica is about teaching music to children.
El sangre en la casa, en la escuela y en la calle (aka Blood in the House, in the School and in the Street) is a British-Cuban coproduction about Matanza, a town just outside of Havana where Cuban music roots are.
La piscine (aka The Swimming Pool) by Calvo Machado might not stand alone in the U.S. but would be good in a package.
Binchi by Eduardo Galano is about the 2 classes clashing in prison.
At the top of Ann’s list and on top of many others’ lists is Melaza.
What I saw and liked
It was also a time for me to catch up of Latin American cinema I have missed. My favorite was Chilean film Jueves a Domingo (aka from Thursday to Sunday) by Dominga Sotomayer. This road trip by a young couple and their 7 year old son and 11 year old daughter tells a story through the daughter’s eye of a loving family’s vacation and their father’s decision to move from Santiago to the countryside. We never know what he is getting away from (Pinochet?) but we see what is supposed to be a vacation transforms the family’s wholeness. The loving light touch of Sotomayer reminds me of Eric Rohmer’s four films of the seasons.
Lucie Malloy’s Una Noche was mobbed by the Cuban public wanting to see this film about two young defectors from Cuba; the police were called to break up the crowd and the overflow had a special screening set up. We hear that the young woman star who defected with her costar on the way to the Tribeca Film Festival and who landed up in Las Vegas is now in “exile mode” bewailing how she misses her family. La probrecita!! Yet another exile story. Had she waited a month, travel from Cuba would be legal. Una Noche is now here in Palm Springs as well, competitng for the Cine Latino Prize.
Other films I saw and liked
El Limpiador and Ombras were both without subtitles (as was Pablo Lorrain’s closing night film No) and so I could only watch a part of them. However I did see El Limpiador here in Palm Springs and was impressed with its simplicity and its authenticity and loving heart. A low tech take on a mysterious illness killing people in the Peruvian city of Lima, the film was simple, sometimes funny and in the end very satisfying.
A film which divided the audience neatly between men and women was the Brazilian feature Brecha Silencia (aka Breaching the Silence) about domestic violence from which 3 siblings barely escape. The subject of violence toward women was also the subject of a short which showed in every public screening. Called Ya No, this short Latin American backed PSA brings public awareness to the unacceptable violent behavior of men toward women often found in schools, in dating, and in homes.
Desde de Lucia playing in Palm Springs also takes on the subject of bullying, this time in a bourgeois Mexican school and centering on a teenage girl who has recently lost her mother.
Taken by Storm
The next segment of the festival was taken up with Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival (t+tff). Emilie Upszak, Artistic Director of t+tff, whom I had met in Havana last year through Icaic’s Luis Notario, and Bruce Paddington the founder and exec director of t+tff were in Havana with a delegation of filmmakers and their films. Since I had missed them all during the extraordinary experience I had at t+tff, I got to see Storm Saulter’s Better Mus Come which has been picked up by the new African Diaspora film distributor for U.S. Affrm (African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement).
Storm is Jamaican and took film courses at L.A. Film School, that large private film school on Sunset near Vine, across from the Arclight Theater, where many foreign students go and where many vets go seeking to learn filmmaking. Storm, however, had been making films since he was a kid using super 8mm and at the ripe old age of 27, he has since formed a collective in Jamaica called, the New Caribbean Cinema. His new fiction feature Better Mus Come screened at Trinidad + Tobago film festival and showed here in Havana as well. He will be announcing an international sales agent and a U.S. distributor very soon.
What fun and interesting days and evenings and nights I had with the t+tff folks.
We heard live music, I danced salsa with a Puerto Rican Actor/ Director who dances salsa and has a short in the festival.
Salsa in Havana seems to be losing steam. Reggaeton closes every dance event as the drunken, monotonous final act before going home. However in Jamaica it is transforming itself into Dancehall (what could be more sexual than that except for sex itself?). There is also Rumba, the traditional dance of Afro-Cubans. It is now taking new forms as the newest generation of Cuba takes the stage. Woodbury faculty, in Havana on a hosted tour with the Jose Marti Cultural Institute, led by my friend Cookie Fischer were invited to the top of the Lincoln Hotel on the night the world was to end (remember the Mayan calendar prediction?) and we danced the night away to the live music of Septeto Nacional a 70 year old group. Son was my dance of choice there. For those of you who want to see Cuba before the transition is over, now is the time. You can travel legally from L.A. and Miami, Mexico or anywhere else in the world with a general license. Take advantage of it Now as it is going to get more crowded with tourists. For us film folk, we get a privileged perch, so plan on next December taking in a week of films plus another week or two to see a country whose land and people are unique in Latin America and the Caribbean.
While this edition paid homage to the youth, also present and recalled were the members of the generations from the ‘60s like Aldo Francia, Chileans Miguel Littin, Patricio Guzman, Jorge Sanjines, Fernado Birri, Fernando Solano, Cacho Pallero, Santiago Alvarez, Glauber Roch, Carlos Diegues, Leon Hizsman, Juaquim Pedro, Tomas Guierrez Alea, Mario Handler, Walter Achugar and many others who in the years ‘67 and ‘68 were themselves inspired by such luminaries as Joris Ivens. Together they were the originators of the phenomenon El Cine de America Latina or New Latin American Cinema influenced mainly by Italian neorealism and other movements of social cinema. Its function was to go against U.S. models and to illuminate the troubled realities of Latin America in the hope of restoring cinema of the continent. Its key moment was the meeting of Latin American Cinema 1967 , which had its impetus in the Chilean Aldo Francia , the Cinema Club of Viña del Mar , the Cuban Alfredo Guevara, the Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Film (Icaic) and the Argentine Edgardo Pallero.
Illuminaries such as Annette Benning whose film The Kids are All Right was screening there and Hawk Koch, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, wrote fan letters to Fidel and Raoul and then mixed and caught up with the top critics and journalists of Latin America and festival participants in the gardens of the Hotel Nacional. Miguel Litten and spouse, the parents of Chile’s Christina Littin, one of Chile’s current top producer/ distributors, were often seen there. Their presence reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s book Clandestine in Chile about the time when Miguel disguised himself to reenter Pinochet’s Chile from whence he had been exiled. So many stories of exile and return mark the modern history of Latin America.
The first day of the Havana festival was devoted to Eictv, the international film school that Gabriel Garcia Marquez founded in 1986 with his Nobel Prize money on land donated by Cuba. Today it is headed by Rafael Rosal who in his own country, Guatemala, set up the first infrastructure for a film industry – a film school, a film festival and production facilities.
Eictv has a student body from everywhere in Latin America, Europe and even from North America. Last year as the emissary for Woodbury University in Burbank CA, I brought them their first agreement with a U.S. institution and exchanges between students and staff have already begun, bringing TV documentary filmmaker Rolando Almirante for a second time to teach documentaries.
Eictv’s event at the Festival de Cine Nuevo en Habana is Nuevas Miradas, 12 chosen projects whose producers and directors present themselves to the industry and compete for three awards.
Coincidently with the lateness of this blog which I wrote from the Palm Springs International Film Festival -- some of Eictv’s staff’s and students’ films were among Psff’s 22 Latino projects vying for the Cine Latino Prize being offered by Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara. This fact along shows a new unity of purpose among the Latino countries and their festivals (Cuba, Guadalajara and Palm Springs, which as part of the Coachella Valley, has the largest Latino population in the United States.) Among the 22 candidates for Psff’s Best Iberoamerican film were Clandestine Childhood (Argentina/ Brazil/Spain) by Benjamín Ávila, who was the coordinator of Fiction at Eictv and screenwriter Marcelo Muller also participated in Eictv; La Voz Dormida (España) of the emerging filmmaker Benito Zambrano, and 7 Boxes (Paraguay) co-directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia, a student in many of the workshops of Eictv. Eictv considers this exchange of ideas and talents as globally important.
The winners of Nuevas Miradas should be watched as one or several reach fruition. Last year The Visitor (Chile) won and has since raised the budget for a feature length film debut.
The projects, Un Viejo Traje, Moora Moora directed by Australian Rhiannon Stevens and produced by Chilean Esme Joffre, Tus padres volverán directed by Uruguayan Pablo Martínez and produced by Virginia Hinze, Cocodrilos tomando el sol, Cuerpos Celestes by Mexican director Lorena Padilla and producer Liliana Bravo, Revolución de las polleras by Bolivian director Sergio Estrada and producer Valeria Ponce received recognition and free software from Assimilate.
The documentary, Un Viejo Traje (aka The Old Suit), by Cuban director Damián Saínz (a student of Eictv) and producer Viana González received a $2,000 prize.
Fiction project, Cocodrilos tomando el sol, directed by Colombian Carlos Rojas and the Venezuelan producer Carolina Graterol, received a $1,000 prize and a course in directing at Eictv.
A film package for those interested in Cuban film programming
Ann Cross, a Scottish woman married to a Trinidadian is always in Havana. She programs the best selection of current Cuban features for U.K. distribution. This year she gave me this list of her favorites and many people concurred with her.
Y sin embargo (aka Nevertheless) by Rudy Mora also won the Beijing Film Festival prize which is surprising in that it is about school children challenging the school system, and challenging any systems in China (and perhaps in Cuba as well) is highly problematic. The child actors are exceptional. The type of burlesque comedy is typical of Cuba. Produced and Isa (international sales agent) is the Cuban government film group Icaic.
Irredemediablemente Juntos (aka Irredeemably Together) by Jorge Luis Sanchez Gonzalez is brave and challenging. Purportedly about classical music and Cuban music and the conflict between the two, it is really about race and the synthesis between black and white, Cuban and European Classical is reached in the story.
Cresciendo en la musica is about teaching music to children.
El sangre en la casa, en la escuela y en la calle (aka Blood in the House, in the School and in the Street) is a British-Cuban coproduction about Matanza, a town just outside of Havana where Cuban music roots are.
La piscine (aka The Swimming Pool) by Calvo Machado might not stand alone in the U.S. but would be good in a package.
Binchi by Eduardo Galano is about the 2 classes clashing in prison.
At the top of Ann’s list and on top of many others’ lists is Melaza.
What I saw and liked
It was also a time for me to catch up of Latin American cinema I have missed. My favorite was Chilean film Jueves a Domingo (aka from Thursday to Sunday) by Dominga Sotomayer. This road trip by a young couple and their 7 year old son and 11 year old daughter tells a story through the daughter’s eye of a loving family’s vacation and their father’s decision to move from Santiago to the countryside. We never know what he is getting away from (Pinochet?) but we see what is supposed to be a vacation transforms the family’s wholeness. The loving light touch of Sotomayer reminds me of Eric Rohmer’s four films of the seasons.
Lucie Malloy’s Una Noche was mobbed by the Cuban public wanting to see this film about two young defectors from Cuba; the police were called to break up the crowd and the overflow had a special screening set up. We hear that the young woman star who defected with her costar on the way to the Tribeca Film Festival and who landed up in Las Vegas is now in “exile mode” bewailing how she misses her family. La probrecita!! Yet another exile story. Had she waited a month, travel from Cuba would be legal. Una Noche is now here in Palm Springs as well, competitng for the Cine Latino Prize.
Other films I saw and liked
El Limpiador and Ombras were both without subtitles (as was Pablo Lorrain’s closing night film No) and so I could only watch a part of them. However I did see El Limpiador here in Palm Springs and was impressed with its simplicity and its authenticity and loving heart. A low tech take on a mysterious illness killing people in the Peruvian city of Lima, the film was simple, sometimes funny and in the end very satisfying.
A film which divided the audience neatly between men and women was the Brazilian feature Brecha Silencia (aka Breaching the Silence) about domestic violence from which 3 siblings barely escape. The subject of violence toward women was also the subject of a short which showed in every public screening. Called Ya No, this short Latin American backed PSA brings public awareness to the unacceptable violent behavior of men toward women often found in schools, in dating, and in homes.
Desde de Lucia playing in Palm Springs also takes on the subject of bullying, this time in a bourgeois Mexican school and centering on a teenage girl who has recently lost her mother.
Taken by Storm
The next segment of the festival was taken up with Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival (t+tff). Emilie Upszak, Artistic Director of t+tff, whom I had met in Havana last year through Icaic’s Luis Notario, and Bruce Paddington the founder and exec director of t+tff were in Havana with a delegation of filmmakers and their films. Since I had missed them all during the extraordinary experience I had at t+tff, I got to see Storm Saulter’s Better Mus Come which has been picked up by the new African Diaspora film distributor for U.S. Affrm (African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement).
Storm is Jamaican and took film courses at L.A. Film School, that large private film school on Sunset near Vine, across from the Arclight Theater, where many foreign students go and where many vets go seeking to learn filmmaking. Storm, however, had been making films since he was a kid using super 8mm and at the ripe old age of 27, he has since formed a collective in Jamaica called, the New Caribbean Cinema. His new fiction feature Better Mus Come screened at Trinidad + Tobago film festival and showed here in Havana as well. He will be announcing an international sales agent and a U.S. distributor very soon.
What fun and interesting days and evenings and nights I had with the t+tff folks.
We heard live music, I danced salsa with a Puerto Rican Actor/ Director who dances salsa and has a short in the festival.
Salsa in Havana seems to be losing steam. Reggaeton closes every dance event as the drunken, monotonous final act before going home. However in Jamaica it is transforming itself into Dancehall (what could be more sexual than that except for sex itself?). There is also Rumba, the traditional dance of Afro-Cubans. It is now taking new forms as the newest generation of Cuba takes the stage. Woodbury faculty, in Havana on a hosted tour with the Jose Marti Cultural Institute, led by my friend Cookie Fischer were invited to the top of the Lincoln Hotel on the night the world was to end (remember the Mayan calendar prediction?) and we danced the night away to the live music of Septeto Nacional a 70 year old group. Son was my dance of choice there. For those of you who want to see Cuba before the transition is over, now is the time. You can travel legally from L.A. and Miami, Mexico or anywhere else in the world with a general license. Take advantage of it Now as it is going to get more crowded with tourists. For us film folk, we get a privileged perch, so plan on next December taking in a week of films plus another week or two to see a country whose land and people are unique in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- 3/15/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Still from English Vinglish
Gauiri Shinde’s English Vinglish is one of the runners – up of the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Palm Springs International Film Festival that concludes on Monday. The 24th edition of the festival screened 182 films from 68 countries.
The other runners-up are Gert Embrechts’ Allez, Eddy! (Belgium/ Luxembourg / The Netherlands), Travis Fine’s Any Day Now (USA), Peter Webber’s Emperor (Japan), Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt (Denmark), Glenn Gaylord’s I Do (USA), Inuk (Greenland), Kon-Tiki (Norway/UK) by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair (Denmark), Michael McGowan’s Still (Canada) and Darko Mitrevski’s The Third Half (Macedonia).
The Sapphires by Wayne Blair won the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey by Ramona Diaz was awarded the Audience Award Best for Documentary Feature. The Fipresci Prize for...
Gauiri Shinde’s English Vinglish is one of the runners – up of the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Palm Springs International Film Festival that concludes on Monday. The 24th edition of the festival screened 182 films from 68 countries.
The other runners-up are Gert Embrechts’ Allez, Eddy! (Belgium/ Luxembourg / The Netherlands), Travis Fine’s Any Day Now (USA), Peter Webber’s Emperor (Japan), Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt (Denmark), Glenn Gaylord’s I Do (USA), Inuk (Greenland), Kon-Tiki (Norway/UK) by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair (Denmark), Michael McGowan’s Still (Canada) and Darko Mitrevski’s The Third Half (Macedonia).
The Sapphires by Wayne Blair won the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey by Ramona Diaz was awarded the Audience Award Best for Documentary Feature. The Fipresci Prize for...
- 1/14/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg) is taking part in the year’s first celebration of the seventh art—the Palm Springs International Film Festival—where it is slated to present the Cine Latino Award to the best Iberoamerican film screened at the 24th edition of the California festival, which will run from January 3rd to 14th, 2013.
The award is accompanied by a cash prize of Us$5,000 contributed by the Guadalajara International Film Festival and the University of Guadalajara Foundation/USA located in Los Angeles, California.
The Cine Latino Award highlights the enormous creativity of new talents in the world of Iberoamerican cinema, at the same time underlining the commitment of the Ficg and the University of Guadalajara Foundation/USA to the consolidation of culture and the arts in the region and to the wider interchange of ideas within a global context.
I will have the pleasure of being on the jury along with Juan Carlos Arciniegas (Ccn en Español), a journalist with an established career in the area of motion picture and entertainment criticism and analysis—and Iván Trujillo Bolio, director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Listed below are the 22 films eligible for the award. They include some of the productions from Iberoamerican countries nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Foreign Language Film category of the 85th Academy Awards, to be held on February 24th, 2013.
7 Boxes (Paraguay), (Isa:Shoreline Entertainment)
Director: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori
After Lucia (Mexico), (Isa: Bac Films)
Director: Michel Franco
Beauty (Argentina), (Isa: Campo Cine)
Director: Daniela Seggiaro
Blancanieves (Spain/France) (Dreamcatchers)
Director: Pablo Berger
Checkmate (Dominican Republic)
Director: José María Cabral
Clandestine Childhood (Argentina/Brazil/Spain)
Director: Benjamín Ávil
The Cleaner (Peru) (Isa: Flamingo Films)
Director: Adrian Saba
The Clown (Brazil)
Director: Selton Mellobr
The Dead Man and Being Happy (Spain) (Isa: Udi)
Director: Javier Rebollo
Drought (Mexico) (Isa:imcine)
Director: Everardo González
The Girl (USA/Mexico) (Isa: Goldcrest Fims)
Director: David Riker
Here and There (Spain/USA/Mexico) (Isa: Alpha Violet)
Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza
La Playa D.C. (Colombia/Brazil/France) (Isa: Cineplex)
Director: Juan Andrés Arango García
Multiple Visions (The Crazy Machine) (Mexico/France/Spain)
Director: Emilio Maillé
The Passion of Michelangelo (Chile/France)
Director: Esteban Larraín
Sadourni’s Butterflies (Argentina)
Director: Darío Nardi
The Sleeping Voice (Spain) (Isa: The Match Factory)
Director: Benito Zambrano
The Snitch Cartel (Colombia)
Director: Carlos Moreno
Tabu (Portugal/Brazil/France/Germany)
Director: Miguel Gomes
The End (Spain)
Director: Jorge Torregrossa
Una Noche (Cuba/UK/USA)
Director: Lucy Mulloy
White Elephant (Argentina/Spain/France)
Director: Pablo Trapero
Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara.
Nebulosa 2916, Jardines del Bosque C.P. 44520 Guadalajara, Jal., México
Teléfonos: +52 (33) 3121-7461, 3122-7827, 3121-6860
Fax: 3121 7426
www.ficg.mx
Todos los derechos reservados ® Pficg | Patronato del Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara.
The award is accompanied by a cash prize of Us$5,000 contributed by the Guadalajara International Film Festival and the University of Guadalajara Foundation/USA located in Los Angeles, California.
The Cine Latino Award highlights the enormous creativity of new talents in the world of Iberoamerican cinema, at the same time underlining the commitment of the Ficg and the University of Guadalajara Foundation/USA to the consolidation of culture and the arts in the region and to the wider interchange of ideas within a global context.
I will have the pleasure of being on the jury along with Juan Carlos Arciniegas (Ccn en Español), a journalist with an established career in the area of motion picture and entertainment criticism and analysis—and Iván Trujillo Bolio, director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Listed below are the 22 films eligible for the award. They include some of the productions from Iberoamerican countries nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Foreign Language Film category of the 85th Academy Awards, to be held on February 24th, 2013.
7 Boxes (Paraguay), (Isa:Shoreline Entertainment)
Director: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori
After Lucia (Mexico), (Isa: Bac Films)
Director: Michel Franco
Beauty (Argentina), (Isa: Campo Cine)
Director: Daniela Seggiaro
Blancanieves (Spain/France) (Dreamcatchers)
Director: Pablo Berger
Checkmate (Dominican Republic)
Director: José María Cabral
Clandestine Childhood (Argentina/Brazil/Spain)
Director: Benjamín Ávil
The Cleaner (Peru) (Isa: Flamingo Films)
Director: Adrian Saba
The Clown (Brazil)
Director: Selton Mellobr
The Dead Man and Being Happy (Spain) (Isa: Udi)
Director: Javier Rebollo
Drought (Mexico) (Isa:imcine)
Director: Everardo González
The Girl (USA/Mexico) (Isa: Goldcrest Fims)
Director: David Riker
Here and There (Spain/USA/Mexico) (Isa: Alpha Violet)
Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza
La Playa D.C. (Colombia/Brazil/France) (Isa: Cineplex)
Director: Juan Andrés Arango García
Multiple Visions (The Crazy Machine) (Mexico/France/Spain)
Director: Emilio Maillé
The Passion of Michelangelo (Chile/France)
Director: Esteban Larraín
Sadourni’s Butterflies (Argentina)
Director: Darío Nardi
The Sleeping Voice (Spain) (Isa: The Match Factory)
Director: Benito Zambrano
The Snitch Cartel (Colombia)
Director: Carlos Moreno
Tabu (Portugal/Brazil/France/Germany)
Director: Miguel Gomes
The End (Spain)
Director: Jorge Torregrossa
Una Noche (Cuba/UK/USA)
Director: Lucy Mulloy
White Elephant (Argentina/Spain/France)
Director: Pablo Trapero
Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara.
Nebulosa 2916, Jardines del Bosque C.P. 44520 Guadalajara, Jal., México
Teléfonos: +52 (33) 3121-7461, 3122-7827, 3121-6860
Fax: 3121 7426
www.ficg.mx
Todos los derechos reservados ® Pficg | Patronato del Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara.
- 1/9/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Asuncion, Paraguay — A new action movie featuring a poor delivery boy whose life depends on the mysterious cargo in his wheelbarrow has Paraguayans excited and proud to see their gritty reality on the big screen for the first time.
While audiences have been delighted by "7 Cajas," the movie shot in a chaotic market in this South American capital has nevertheless jarred many with its focus on the darker angles it shows: a suffocating mix of official negligence, societal indifference, police corruption and organized crime that keeps most of the population mired in poverty.
"I loved the movie," said 30-year old architect Antonella Cantero. "It is just that for some of us it becomes hard to watch, something that is so tough and so common at the same time, and we prefer to hide."
It's an odd mix of emotions for people unaccustomed to seeing any cinematic depiction at all of their country.
While audiences have been delighted by "7 Cajas," the movie shot in a chaotic market in this South American capital has nevertheless jarred many with its focus on the darker angles it shows: a suffocating mix of official negligence, societal indifference, police corruption and organized crime that keeps most of the population mired in poverty.
"I loved the movie," said 30-year old architect Antonella Cantero. "It is just that for some of us it becomes hard to watch, something that is so tough and so common at the same time, and we prefer to hide."
It's an odd mix of emotions for people unaccustomed to seeing any cinematic depiction at all of their country.
- 11/9/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cockatoo Island Film Festival battles to recover reputation after disastrous opening as 7 Boxes wins
A Paraguayan feature film has won the inaugural Golden Feather Award at the Cockatoo Island Film Festival, marking the end of the festival’s troubled first year.
7 Boxes, directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, was described by the festival’s jury as ‘rollicking and compelling’.
The awards cap off a festival which began in a PR disaster as around 200 festival-goers were turned away from the gates on opening night’s screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master.
The festival’s Facebook page was hit with complaints from visitors and participating film-makers about overselling tickets, bad signage and confusing programming. Over the rest of the weekend there were further complaints from festival goers over films being screened at the wrong time.
Nobody from the festival was available to comment to Mumbrella today. So far it has not issued a formal apology to visitors on its Facebook page, although...
7 Boxes, directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, was described by the festival’s jury as ‘rollicking and compelling’.
The awards cap off a festival which began in a PR disaster as around 200 festival-goers were turned away from the gates on opening night’s screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master.
The festival’s Facebook page was hit with complaints from visitors and participating film-makers about overselling tickets, bad signage and confusing programming. Over the rest of the weekend there were further complaints from festival goers over films being screened at the wrong time.
Nobody from the festival was available to comment to Mumbrella today. So far it has not issued a formal apology to visitors on its Facebook page, although...
- 10/29/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
“The Fast and the Furious” with wheelbarrows, Paraguayan action-thriller-romance hybrid “7 Boxes” is a rollicking good time at the movies that offers breathtaking action and suspense, humor and appealing characters all in one visually flashy package. Made by first-time feature directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, “Boxes” is set in Municipal Market 4 in Asunción, an enormous maze of stalls and stores that covers almost eight blocks. Víctor (newcomer Celso Franco, going places) is a 17-year-old wheelbarrow transporter who tries to scrape by delivering goods bought at the market. A suspicious delivery of seven wooden crates (not boxes) with unspecified contents suddenly has him being followed by a thief, a rival transporter and his gang, the mobsters who own the merchandise, the police, a too-curious-for-her-own-good female friend, a Korean waiter (long story) and Víctor’s older sister, whose pregnant...
- 9/10/2012
- by Boyd van Hoeij
- Indiewire
When a street barrow-courier in the most chaotic urban marketplace in capital city of Paraguay gets the gig of watching over seven rather large and mysterious crates, things are sure to get out of hand, and in this trailer for Juan Carlos Maneglia's and Tana Schémbori's 7 Boxes, they certainly do. One of the smaller genre films playing at Tiff this year, this one, based on what is below, offers a heck of a lot of promise, here is an excerpt from the Tiff website:Making atmospheric use of the squalid, massively overcrowded labyrinth of Asunción's outdoor bazaars, this auspicious first feature by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori is a brilliantly down-market homage to the Hollywood suspense-action genre, where racing cars and squealing tires are replaced...
- 8/23/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Above: Ernie Gehr's Auto-Collider Xv.
The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.
Galas
A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)
Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)
The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)
Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)
Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)
Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)
Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)
Looper (Rian Johnson,...
The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.
Galas
A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)
Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)
The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)
Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)
Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)
Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)
Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)
Looper (Rian Johnson,...
- 8/22/2012
- MUBI
Is there anything in the world they did not program this year?! The 37th Toronto Film Festival has released the final batch of titles for their complete, and final, Tiff 2012 line-up. In grand total, they're playing 289 feature films over 11 days, starting September 6. Just last week, Tiff announced another set of films including the highly anticipated The Master, as well as Passion and Spring Breakers. This final batch adds some other great picks to the selection, including Palme d'Or winner Amour and Cannes favorite Like Someone in Love. They've pretty much programmed everything this year. Check out the final batch below. Here's the final set of films to be added to the Tiff 2012 line-up. We'll start with the Discovery films first. Discovery: 7 Boxes (dir. Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay) It's Friday night in Asunción and the temperature is 40°C. Víctor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow-boy, dreams of becoming famous...
- 8/21/2012
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival® will roll out the red carpet for hundreds of guests from the four corners of the globe in September. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Rian Johnson, Noah Baumbach, Deepa Mehta, Derek Cianfrance, Sion Sono, Joss Whedon, Neil Jordan, Lu Chuan, Shola Lynch, Barry Levinson, Yvan Attal, Ben Affleck, Marina Zenovich, Costa-Gavras, Laurent Cantet, Sally Potter, Dustin Hoffman, Francois Ozon, David O. Russell, David Ayer, Pelin Esmer, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Andrew Adamson, Michael McGowan, Bahman Ghobadi, Ziad Doueiri, Alex Gibney, Stephen Chbosky, Eran Riklis, Edward Burns, Bernard Émond, Zhang Yuan, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Newell, Miwa Nishikawa, Margarethe Von Trotta, David Siegel, Scott McGehee, Gauri Shinde, Goran Paskaljevic, Baltasar Kormákur, J.A. Bayona, Rob Zombie, Peaches and Paul Andrew Williams.
Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...
Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...
- 8/21/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After a string of announcements, it looks like the Toronto International Film Festival have locked down their line-up and it’s looking like a fantastic slate. Much of the additions today come in the form of previous Cannes premieres, including Michael Haneke‘s Amour (review), Cristian Mungiu‘s Beyond the Hills (review), Abbas Kiarostami‘s Like Someone in Love (review), Bernardo Bertolucci‘s Me and You (review), Hong Sang-soo‘s In Another Country and the Venice premiere Olivier Assayas‘ Something in the Air. Most notably missing is Leos Carax‘s Holy Motors, but we do get a new Michael Winterbottom film titled Everyday. Out of the Discovery section, the biggest film seems to be The Brass Teapot, and indie drama starring Juno Temple and Michael Angarano and one can check out all the additions below.
Masters
Amour Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany North American Premiere Screen legends Jean-Louis Trintignant and...
Masters
Amour Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany North American Premiere Screen legends Jean-Louis Trintignant and...
- 8/21/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
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