Latin americain film festivals bring love and la paz to London
If you were left wanting more after the recent explosion of Brazilian Cinema in London back in September, we’ve got good news: the month of November brings not one, but two more Latin American Film Festivals to the capital.
The London Latin American Film Festival kick-starts the season with ten days of the region's finest cinematic exports, showing five UK premieres of feature films from Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia, as well as an eclectic mix of shorts and documentaries. Particular Brazilian gems include Children of the Amazon, a critically acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Denise Zmekhol, who revisits the indigenous tribes she photographed in the Amazon 15 years ago; and I Am Happy, a refreshingly positive take on Rio’s favela communities. Vibe Bar on Brick Lane is the venue for a Latin American art exhibition and the Closing Night Party, both of which promise to be painfully cool.
The festivities continue with the 8th Discovering Latin America Film Festival at the end of the month; a two week extravaganza exploring themes of immigration, national identity and comedy in Latin American Cinema. Brazilian highlights not to be missed include a Q&A session with Brazilian Paula Lavinge, producer of Romance. Panel discussions with leading directors and even a Master-class in Cinema and Ideology guaranteed to satisfy your inner film buff.
The top 3 Brazilian films this month
1 - Garapa: the latest offering from Bus 174 and Elite Squad's José Padilha, Garupa is a hard-hitting and important documentary about hunger and poverty in contemporary Brazil.
2 - No Meu Lugar: drama from the Lower City producers, about three families linked to a tragic event in a wealthy Rio neighbourhood, through the house in which it occured.
3 - Romance: multi-award winning romantic comedy in which a struggling director/actor, played by Wagner Moura, falls in love with his co-star in a production of 'Tristan and Isolde'.
More Film Festivals
First, on 7th -14th November, comes Lusophone Cinema (020 7399 9284), on 10th – 13th at Birkbeck Cinema, which brings cinematic offerings from Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor and Mozambique, and therefore constitutes a rare treat. It's free but book first!
Then there's UCL's Festival of the Moving Image at Bloomsbury Theatre (festivalofmovingimage.com), also free, with 4-days of films, debates and events on Latin America including a Q&A with acclaimed Y Tu Mama También director Alfonso Cuarón.
And then there's the African Film Festival from 26th November –3rd December, with an exciting array of films from Algeria to Johannesburg, focusing on narratives (africaatthepictures.co.uk).
London Latin American Film Fest
6th - 15th Nov
Pour en savoir + : latinamericanfilmfestival.com