Returning for a 12th year, Sydney’s Latin American film festival will give movie lovers the chance to embrace the diversity of Latin American cultures on screen. With eight films, two documentaries, seven short films plus two fiestas, the festival is set to pack a lot into five days. The festival’s focus this year is on themes of human resilience, political turmoil and redemption.
Opening night starts the festival with a bang, with pre-screening drinks from 6.30pm and empanadas from Mexican catering company Pablo’s Kitchen. Award-winning Cuban film On the Roof will have its Australian premiere for opening night. The film tells the story of three youngsters who spend their days sharing dreams and making plans; it’s only when they begin a pizza business for the locals that they begin to find who they really are. Join the party after the film at jazz venue the Basement, to enjoy the Cuban rhythems of artists Armandito and Trovason.
From Mexico, Everything Else stars Academy Award-nominated actress Adriana Barraza (Babel) in a thought-provoking tale of an office worker’s solitary life that is turned upside down when she is forced to confront her lonely reality after her cat’s death.
The two documentaries reveal stories of recent South American history. Adriana’s Pact examines the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile and former intelligence agent Adriana Rivas’s personal family secrets, while When Guns Go Silent journeys through the dark history of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and their dialogue with the Colombian State as they enter the final stage of their pursuit of peace.
After the success of his 2011 film, Chinese Take-Away, director Sebastian Borensztein and actor Ricardo Darin reunite for Kóblic, a film full of the tensions of Argentina in 1977, when pilot Captain Kóblic is forced to confront the reality of the military dictatorship he serves.
Elis takes viewers on a journey through the life of beloved Brazilian jazz singer Elis Regina (Andréia Horta), known for her energetic stage persona. The film chronicles the singer’s life from her rise to fame to her tragic accidental death in 1982 aged 36.
The closing night film comes from Colombia. Bad Lucky Goat is the quirky comedic tale of two squabbling siblings who accidentally run over a goat in their father’s truck and the misadventures that ensue. Attendees will get a free drink on arrival, and a musician from the Caribbean, Errol H Renaud, will perform prior to the screening.
The Sydney Latin American Film Festival is a not for profit organisation, with funds from ticket sales contributing to social justice, environmental and community development organisations in both Latin America and Australia.
Source: Time Out (Sydney)