AFI Latin American Film Festival

  • Lila Avilés’s Mexican Drama ‘Tótem’ Opens 34th AFI Latin American Film Festival Lineup

    Tótem directed by Lila Avilés
    Tótem

    44 films from 21 countries have been confirmed to screen at the 34th AFI Latin American Film Festival, taking place September 21 to October 11 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Festival spotlights Latin America’s films and filmmaking during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

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  • ARGENTINA, 1985 Kicks Off 33rd AFI Latin American Film Festival Lineup

    Argentina, 1985
    Argentina, 1985 directed by Santiago Mitre

    The 2022 AFI Latin American Film Festival will take place in-person September 22 – October 12 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Now in its 33rd year, the Festival, one of the largest and longest-running showcases of Latin American cinema in the United States, will feature a wide-ranging selection of 41 films from 21 countries.

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  • A COP MOVIE to Open 2021 AFI Latin American Film Festival Lineup, Closes with LA SOGA 2

    A Cop Movie directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
    A Cop Movie directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios

    The 2021 AFI Latin American Film Festival set for September 23 – October 13 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD will open with Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ (Güeros, Museo) Berlin-debuted A Cop Movie, an immersive, on-the-job and behind-the-scenes look at the life of two Mexico City cops, which confirms Ruizpalacios’ genius for creating unexpected, genre-bending cinema and won the Berlinale’s Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution earlier this year.

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  • Pablo Larrain’s EMA Opens 2020 Online Edition of AFI Latin American Film Festival

    Pablo Larrain’s Ema, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Mariana Di Girolamo
    Pablo Larrain’s Ema, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Mariana Di Girolamo

    The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the full slate of 26 films from 20 countries being presented online for the 2020 AFI Latin American Film Festival, which will take place September 25–October 7, 2020.

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  • AN UNEXPECTED LOVE and World Premiere of DAYS OF LIGHT Bookend 2019 AFI Latin American Film Festival Lineup

    AN UNEXPECTED LOVE, directed by Juan Vera
    AN UNEXPECTED LOVE, directed by Juan Vera

    The 2019 AFI Latin American Film Festival will take place September 12–October 2 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Celebrating its 30th edition this year, the festival honors Ibero-American cultural connections during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s festival will showcase 53 films, nearly 40% of the films are directed by women.

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  • 2015 AFI Latin American Film Festival to Open with Lesbian Romantic Drama SAND DOLLARS | TRAILER

    SAND DOLLARS The 2015 AFI Latin American Film Festival taking place at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland from September 17 to October 7, opens with the romantic drama SAND DOLLARS, based on the novel “Les Dollars des Sables” by Jean-Noël Pancrazi. SAND DOLLARS is the fourth film by directors Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas (COCOCHI, JEAN GENTIL), and stars Geraldine Chaplin (DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, THE ORPHANAGE) as a wealthy foreign tourist who is head over heels for a much-younger local woman. The film was recently announced as the Dominican Republic’s Official Academy Award® Submission. In the picturesque seaside town of Las Terrenas, French expat Anne (Geraldine Chaplin, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO) has fallen in love with the much younger local, Noeli (Yanet Mojica). But the feeling isn’t exactly mutual — Noeli makes a living scamming off the kindness of tourists. She shares her earnings with her boyfriend, whom she passes off to Anne as her brother. Things become complicated when Anne promises to take Noeli back to France with her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE The Closing Night film, TRASH, directed by Stephen Daldry (BILLY ELLIOT, THE HOURS) and written by Richard Curtis (LOVE ACTUALLY, WAR HORSE), follows three trash-picking boys from Rio de Janeiro who team up with two American missionaries, Martin Sheen (THE WEST WING) and Rooney Mara (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE SOCIAL NETWORK), to uncover political corruption. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN08JrXZ9eM Other highlights include MESSI, a docudrama about the world’s greatest soccer player; the U.S. premiere of Colombia’s ALIAS MARÍA, straight from its debut at the Cannes Film Festival; Kristen Wiig (BRIDESMAIDS) in NASTY BABY, a Brooklyn-set dark comedy from Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva; and WITHOUT WINGS, the first U.S. feature to be made in Cuba since 1959. The complete schedule of the 2015 AFI Latin American Film Festival is available online.

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  • Chilean Film “THE FUTURE” Among Early Confirmed Films for 2013 AFI Latin American Film Festival

    THE FUTURE [Il futuro]THE FUTURE [Il futuro]

    The AFI Latin American Film Festival will run September 19 – October 9, 2013 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Washington, DC area. Films on the lineup this year include THE FUTURE [Il futuro], Chilean filmmaker Alicia Scherson’s (PLAY, TURISTAS) adaptation of a novel by celebrated author Roberto Bolaño, set in Rome and starring Rutger Hauer. The film is described as a Rome-set story about two teen siblings, newly orphaned, and the dangers of sudden adulthood.

    Confirmed films include:

    ANINA
    Alfredo Soderguit, Uruguay

    An adorable and heart-warming animated film for the whole family. A young girl with a triple palindrome name, Anina Yatay Salas, must endure a weeklong suspension after a schoolyard fight, and ultimately learn a lesson in friendship and acceptance. Best Colombian Film and Director, 2013 Cartagena Film Festival; Audience Award, International Official Selection, 2013 BAFICI Film Festival; Official Selection, 2013 Berlin Film Festival.

    THE BODY [El cuerpo]
    Oriol Paulo, Spain

    A tense thriller that keeps viewers guessing until the final minute. From the producers of THE ORPHANAGE and starring Belén Rueda.

    CHICAMA
    Omar Forero, Peru

    A charming story about a fresh-faced elementary school teacher sent to a remote school in the Andes mountains. Best Peruvian Film, 2012 Lima Film Festival.

    THE CLEANER [El limpiador]
    Adrian Saba, Peru

    A gentle apocalyptic drama about a forensic cleaner who reluctantly takes in a young orphan in the midst of a deadly epidemic. New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize, 2013 Palm Springs Film Festival. Official Selection, 2012 San Sebastian Film Festival; 2013 San Francisco, Karlovy Vary Film Festivals.

    THE DEAD MAN AND BEING HAPPY [El muerto y ser feliz]
    Javier Rebollo, Argentina

    A screwball road movie about a cancer-stricken hitman. Best Actor, 2013 Goya Awards. Official Selection, 2012 San Sebastian, New York Film Festivals; 2013 Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary Film Festivals.

    DUST [Polvo]
    Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala

    A powerful drama about a couple making a documentary in a village of indigenous people in Guatemala’s back country, and the villagers’ recollections of the conflict and subsequent disappearances of their family members in 1982. Official Selection, 2012 Locarno, Toronto Film Festivals; 2013 Miami Film Festival.

    EDIFICIO ROYALE
    Iván Wild, Colombia

    A black comedy about a decaying building in Colombia and its Tom Cruise-obsessed residents. Official Selection, Cartagena and Miami Film Festivals.

    THE FUTURE [Il futuro]
    Alicia Scherson, Chile

    A Rome-set story about two teen siblings, newly orphaned, and the dangers of sudden adulthood. Directed by Alicia Scherson (PLAY, TURISTAS) and adapted from a novel by acclaimed author Roberto Bolaño. Featuring Rutger Hauer. Official Selection, 2013 Sundance, Rotterdam Film Festivals.

    A GUN IN EACH HAND [Una pistola en cada mano]
    Cesc Gay, Spain

    A series of comedic, interconnected vignettes about the misadventures of a group of fortysomething men, featuring a star-studded cast including Ricardo Darín, Javier Cámara and Luis Tosar. Official Selection, 2012 Rome Film Festival; 2013 Miami, Seattle Film Festivals.

    HOLD-UP! [¡Atraco!]
    Eduard Cortés, Spain

    A rollicking caper about the stranger-than-fiction staged robbery of Eva Perón’s jewels in 1950s Madrid.

    MELAZA
    Carlos Lechuga, Cuba

    A young couple struggles to get by when their village sugar mill is shut down. Official Selection, 2012 Havana, 2013 Rotterdam and Miami Film Festivals. Biznada de Plata Award, 2013 Malaga Film Festival.

    NO AUTUMN, NO SPRING [Sin otoño, sin primavera]
    Iván Mora Manzano, Ecuador

    A punk ballad, this kaleidoscopic film explores the lives, loves and losses of Guayaquil City youths. Official Selection, 2013 Miami Film Festival.

    ONCE UPON A TIME IN BOLIVIA [Erase una vez en Bolvia]
    Patrick Cordova, Bolivia

    A micro-budget road movie set against the backdrop of the 2003 Bolivian gas conflict. Best International Feature, 2013 London Independent Film Festival.

    RIO 2096: A STORY OF LOVE AND FURY [Rio 2096: Uma História de Amor e Fúria]
    Luiz Bolognesi, Brazil

    A striking, visionary animated film, exploring 600 years of Brazilian history through the eyes of a single character reincarnated across the centuries. Best Feature, 2013 Annecy Animation Film Festival.

    SO MUCH WATER [Tanta agua]
    Ana Guevara, Leticia Jorge, Uruguay

    A 14-year old is forced to spend time with her family when a rainstorm ruins their vacation. Grand Prix and Best Screenplay, 2013 Miami Film Festival; Best First Feature Award, 2013 Guadalajara Film Festival.

    SOFIA AND THE STUBBURN MAN [Sofía y el Terco]
    Andrés Burgos, Colombia

    A gentle comedy starring Almodóvar favorite Carmen Maura (WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, VOLVER) as a long-suffering married woman who decides to strike out on her own and have an adventure.

    THE SWIMMING POOL [La piscina]
    Carlos Quintela, Cuba

    A day in the life of a public swimming pool in Cuba where five disabled teens take swimming lessons. Best First Film, 2013 Miami, Havana Film Festivals.

    THESIS ON A HOMICIDE [Tesis sobre un homicidio]
    Hernán Goldfrid, Argentina

    A twist-filled thriller starring Ricardo Darín (THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, CARANCHO, NINE QUEENS). Official Selection, 2013 Miami Film Festival.

    THEY’LL COME BACK [Eles Voltam]
    Marcelo Lordello, Brazil

    “If you two don’t stop fighting, I’m going to pull this car over and leave you by the side of the road.” Cris and her brother don’t, and their parents do. A modern fable about independence and identity set in rugged northwestern Brazil. Official Selection, 2013 Rotterdam, San Francisco Film Festivals.

    VIOLA
    Matías Piñero, Argentina

    A spritely adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” set among contemporary Buenos Aires hipsters. Official Selection, 2012 Toronto Film Festival; 2013 New Directors/New Films, Berlin Film Festival.

     

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