A region bustling with the winds of change throughout the 2010s — both progressive and retrograde — Latin America enjoyed a banner decade that witnessed the rise of films grappling with economic inequality, indigenous discrimination, and Lgbtq+ issues.
Mexico’s production continued to skyrocket (from Amat Escalante to Eugenio Derbez), Chile emerged as a powerhouse in both the arthouse and mainstream markets (with the Larraín brothers’ Fabula production company and the unofficial movement known as Chilewood), and countries like Panama (“Invasion”), the Dominican Republic (“Woodpeckers”), and Paraguay (“The Heiresses”) made strides towards a more consistent output of noteworthy offers. Although far from a definitive list, these 11 features give the world the opportunity to take a peek at the varied perspectives of Latin American creators, veterans and up-and-comers:
“Aquarius” (2016)
Vigorous and sensual, Sonia Braga commands director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s vital character study in her career-best work playing Doña Clara. The timeless Brazilian...
Mexico’s production continued to skyrocket (from Amat Escalante to Eugenio Derbez), Chile emerged as a powerhouse in both the arthouse and mainstream markets (with the Larraín brothers’ Fabula production company and the unofficial movement known as Chilewood), and countries like Panama (“Invasion”), the Dominican Republic (“Woodpeckers”), and Paraguay (“The Heiresses”) made strides towards a more consistent output of noteworthy offers. Although far from a definitive list, these 11 features give the world the opportunity to take a peek at the varied perspectives of Latin American creators, veterans and up-and-comers:
“Aquarius” (2016)
Vigorous and sensual, Sonia Braga commands director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s vital character study in her career-best work playing Doña Clara. The timeless Brazilian...
- 12/28/2019
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
“From Afar”
On Monday, December 12th, the last two films from the 85 qualified submissions in the Best Foreign Language Film race were screen for voters, which means the 9-film shortlist, comprised of six popular choices and three executive votes, will soon be announced. Unlike previous years in which a clear frontrunner had been established early on in the season, this year the competition feels wide open even if there are so unquestionable favorites.
Europe’s dominance continues with films such as the acclaimed “Toni Erdmann,” which is the closest to a frontrunner there is, Almodovar’s “Julieta,” France’s “Elle,” and Denmark’s “Land of Mine.” Latin America put forward a weaker pack of films than in year’s prior while still having a couple marvels in competition. Asia, including the Middle East, and Africa, each have a handful of films that could surprise and shake the Eurocentric category for a change.
On Monday, December 12th, the last two films from the 85 qualified submissions in the Best Foreign Language Film race were screen for voters, which means the 9-film shortlist, comprised of six popular choices and three executive votes, will soon be announced. Unlike previous years in which a clear frontrunner had been established early on in the season, this year the competition feels wide open even if there are so unquestionable favorites.
Europe’s dominance continues with films such as the acclaimed “Toni Erdmann,” which is the closest to a frontrunner there is, Almodovar’s “Julieta,” France’s “Elle,” and Denmark’s “Land of Mine.” Latin America put forward a weaker pack of films than in year’s prior while still having a couple marvels in competition. Asia, including the Middle East, and Africa, each have a handful of films that could surprise and shake the Eurocentric category for a change.
- 12/13/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Venezuela’s Lorenzo Vigas succeeds through ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ as subtle body language reveals an uneasy fascination between a mismatched couple
This assured first feature from Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas is a masterclass in storytelling through image rather than words. The photography, particularly the eloquent use of shallow focus and the eye for subtle body language, delivers stabs of clarity to a portrait of an ambiguous relationship between a man in his 50s and the teenage gang leader he meets on the streets.
Armando (played by the great Chilean actor Alfredo Castro, a regular collaborator of Pablo Larraín) is coolly inscrutable, the bitterness resulting from some hinted-at childhood trauma etched deep into his watchful face. He is gay but prefers his sexual encounters, like everything else in his life, at a safe distance. He scopes the streets of Caracas for young men, takes them back to the shadowy secrets of his apartment,...
This assured first feature from Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas is a masterclass in storytelling through image rather than words. The photography, particularly the eloquent use of shallow focus and the eye for subtle body language, delivers stabs of clarity to a portrait of an ambiguous relationship between a man in his 50s and the teenage gang leader he meets on the streets.
Armando (played by the great Chilean actor Alfredo Castro, a regular collaborator of Pablo Larraín) is coolly inscrutable, the bitterness resulting from some hinted-at childhood trauma etched deep into his watchful face. He is gay but prefers his sexual encounters, like everything else in his life, at a safe distance. He scopes the streets of Caracas for young men, takes them back to the shadowy secrets of his apartment,...
- 7/3/2016
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Evolution wins special jury prize; Joachim Lafosse’s The White Knights wins Silver Shell.Scroll down for full list of winners
Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept 18-26).
Runarsson’s second film, following Volcano (2011), follows 16-year-old Ari, who has to leave his mother’s home in Reykjavik and move back to his former hometown in the isolated Westfjords of Iceland where he navigates a rocky relationship with his father.
Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s surreal horror film Evolution picked up the Special Jury Prize. The French director’s first feature in more than a decade follows a young boy living in a mysterious, isolated seaside clinic who uncovers the sinister purposes of his keepers.
The film also saw Manu Dacosse pick up the Jury Prize for best cinematography.
The Silver Shell for best director went to Joachim Lafosse for The White...
Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows has won the Golden Shell for best film at the 63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept 18-26).
Runarsson’s second film, following Volcano (2011), follows 16-year-old Ari, who has to leave his mother’s home in Reykjavik and move back to his former hometown in the isolated Westfjords of Iceland where he navigates a rocky relationship with his father.
Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s surreal horror film Evolution picked up the Special Jury Prize. The French director’s first feature in more than a decade follows a young boy living in a mysterious, isolated seaside clinic who uncovers the sinister purposes of his keepers.
The film also saw Manu Dacosse pick up the Jury Prize for best cinematography.
The Silver Shell for best director went to Joachim Lafosse for The White...
- 9/26/2015
- ScreenDaily
Sunday’s premiere in Toronto screening of "Desde Allá" – the winner Saturday night of the Venice Film Festival’s coveted Golden Lion – revealed to a capacity audience a movie that's a decidedly mixed blessing: Yes, it lingers on the palate like a four-star Michelin meal. But it makes you realize you’ve been spending most of your movie-going life at McDonald’s. The first Venezuelan film to win Venice and the debut feature of director Lorenzo Vigas, it has at its center an unmarried, middle-aged maker of dentures, Armando (Alfredo Castro), who is in the habit of hiring young men from the streets of Caracas for his very particular brand of erotic satisfaction (no contact, just humiliation for everyone). Why Armando even bothers with Elder (Luis Silva) – a bona fide criminal, a violent punk who verbally abuses the older man, physically assaults him, robs him and treats his subsequent benevolence...
- 9/14/2015
- by John Anderson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Venezuelan film From Afar was a decent pick for Venice’s top award, even if some of the other prizes handed out were somewhat on the mysterious side
Jaws dropped, but Venezuelan national pride soared, as a low-profile film from an unknown first-time director scooped the Venice film festival’s top prize the Golden Lion. Lorenzo Vigas’s film From Afar (Desde Allá) wasn’t considered by many as a front runner in a competition that included works from such high-profile names as Charlie Kaufman, Tom Hooper, performer turned director Laurie Anderson and 2011 Golden Lion winner Alexander Sokurov. But Vigas’s dark drama, about the relationship between a middle-aged gay man and a violent young street tough, was certainly one of the discoveries of the festival, and had plenty to recommend it – not least an audaciously minimalist performance from Alfredo Castro, the Chilean actor who in the last few...
Jaws dropped, but Venezuelan national pride soared, as a low-profile film from an unknown first-time director scooped the Venice film festival’s top prize the Golden Lion. Lorenzo Vigas’s film From Afar (Desde Allá) wasn’t considered by many as a front runner in a competition that included works from such high-profile names as Charlie Kaufman, Tom Hooper, performer turned director Laurie Anderson and 2011 Golden Lion winner Alexander Sokurov. But Vigas’s dark drama, about the relationship between a middle-aged gay man and a violent young street tough, was certainly one of the discoveries of the festival, and had plenty to recommend it – not least an audaciously minimalist performance from Alfredo Castro, the Chilean actor who in the last few...
- 9/12/2015
- by Jonathan Romney
- The Guardian - Film News
Anomalisa wins Grand Jury Prize; Robert Pattinson-starrer The Childhood Of A Leader wins best debut.Scroll down for full list of winners
From Afar (Desde Alla), the first Venezuelan production to appear in Competition at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Golden Lion for Best Film.
The directorial debut of Lorenzo Vigas concerns a middle-aged man (Alfredo Castro) who pays young boys to spend time with him. One day he befriends an 18-year-old delinquent (Luis Silva), a development that affects both profoundly.
The film, sold by Celluloid Dreams, is produced by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who co-wrote the script.
The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Argentinian film-maker Pablo Trapero for kidnap drama The Clan (El Clan).
Trapero has a good relationship with Venice, having won two prizes for his 1999 debut, Crane World, returning in 2004 with Rolling Family and sitting on the Golden Lion jury in 2012.
The Clan is based on the real-life exploits...
From Afar (Desde Alla), the first Venezuelan production to appear in Competition at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Golden Lion for Best Film.
The directorial debut of Lorenzo Vigas concerns a middle-aged man (Alfredo Castro) who pays young boys to spend time with him. One day he befriends an 18-year-old delinquent (Luis Silva), a development that affects both profoundly.
The film, sold by Celluloid Dreams, is produced by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, who co-wrote the script.
The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Argentinian film-maker Pablo Trapero for kidnap drama The Clan (El Clan).
Trapero has a good relationship with Venice, having won two prizes for his 1999 debut, Crane World, returning in 2004 with Rolling Family and sitting on the Golden Lion jury in 2012.
The Clan is based on the real-life exploits...
- 9/12/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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