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LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
ONCE UPON A TIME VERONICA
[Era uma vez eu, Verônica]
Fri, Oct 4, 5:00; Sun, Oct 6, 9:05
Veronica is a young woman in the throes of a quarter-life crisis.
Fresh out of med school, she lives with her ailing father in the
coastal town of Recife and finds out the hard way that adult life
isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. But between struggling with
her patients and taking care of her father, she still manages
to let loose, hang with her girlfriends and indulge in some
casually mind-blowing sex. “Strikingly impressive on every
level, Marcelo Gomes' snapshot of modern urban life—as
seen through the sharp eyes of a Brazilian woman—is one
of the year's best South American films.”—Neil Young, The
Hollywood Reporter. Special Mention, Horizontes Section,
2012 San Sebastian Film Festival. Official Selection 2012
Toronto Film Festival.
DIR/SCR Marcelo Gomes; PROD Sara Silveira João Vieira Jr.
Brazil/France, 2012, color, 91 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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RIO 2096: A STORY OF LOVE AND FURY
[Uma História de Amor e Fúria]
Sun, Oct 6, 5:00; Mon, Oct 7, 9:00
Spanning 600 years of tumultuous Brazilian history, this bold
animated epic follows the passionate romance of an immortal
warrior and the love of his many lives, as they are reincarnated,
persecuted, torn apart and reunited again. “The ambitious RIO
2096: A STORY OF LOVE AND FURY fuses old-fashioned
animation style with computer work and comes up with a film
that blends legend with politics, finding plenty of room [for] sex,
violence and mythology as it freewheels through the centuries.”
–Mark Adams, Screen Daily. Best Feature, 2013 Annecy
Animation Film Festival.
DIR/SCR/PROD Luiz Bolognesi; PROD Marcos Barreto, Laís
Bodanzky, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane, Débora Ivanov, Gabriel Lacerda. Brazil, 2013, color, 98
min. In Portuguese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Chile
THE FUTURE [Il futuro]
Sat, Sep 28, 9:20; Wed, Oct 2, 9:00
Chilean filmmaker Alicia Scherson adapts a novel by Roberto
Bolaño in this edgy and imaginative Rome-set drama.
Orphaned by a car accident, teens Bianca (Manuela Martelli)
and Tomas (Luigi Ciardo) struggle to adapt to their new life and
sudden adulthood. Tomas falls under the influence of two gym-
rat hustlers, who concoct a scheme to rob reclusive, blind former
Mr. Universe and B-movie star Maciste (Rutger Hauer), by
sending Bianca up to his villa as a call girl. But after spending
time with the charming and gentle giant, Bianca rethinks her
situation, and who’s calling the shots. Official Selection, 2013
Sundance, Rotterdam Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR Alicia Scherson, from the
novel “Una novelita lumpen” by Roberto Bolaño; PROD Bruno Bettati, Christoph Friedel, Mario
Mazzarotto, Emanuele Nespeca, Luis Angel Ramirez, Claudia Steffen. Italy/Chile/Germany/Spain,
2013, color, 94 min. In English, Italian and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Costa Rica
THE END [El fin]
Sat, Oct 5, 1:15; Mon, Oct 7, 5:00
A Costa Rican companion to this summer’s slew of apocalyptic
comedies, Miguel Alejandro Gomez’s film is a life-affirming
bromance between downtrodden Nicolas and liberated Carlos.
With a life-destroying asteroid locked into a collision course with
Earth, Nicolas spends his last months shut up in his house, hiding
from the world. But Carlos sees the imminent final days as a gift,
an excuse to live life to the max. So he coaxes Nicolas out of
bed and drags him on a wild road trip to Nosara, a memorable
beach from their childhood.
DIR/SCR/PROD Miguel Alejandro Gomez; SCR Antonio
Chamu, Charlie VanVleet; PROD Dennis Josue Gomez, Andrea Truque. Costa Rica, 2012, color, 85 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Cuba
MOLASSES [Melaza]
Sun, Sep 22, 7:00; Thu, Sep 26, 5:15
Aldo and Mónica are a picture-perfect couple, deeply in
love, but struggling to make ends meet ever since their town’s
sugarcane mill closed its doors. Living with their chubby
daughter and cantankerous grandma in rural Cuba, Aldo is
now a swimming teacher and Mónica the sole remaining
employee at the mill. Hoping to make a few extra bucks, they
turn to illegal means to stay afloat but only end up deeper in
trouble. Is their love enough to pull them through? A bittersweet
romance, this delicate first feature from Carlos Lechuga is an
authentic tale of ordinary Cubans and their determination to
survive. Biznaga de Plata Award, Málaga Film Festival; Official
Selection, 2012 Havana, 2013 Rotterdam, Miami Film
Festivals.
DIR/SCR Carlos Lechuga; PROD Claudia Calviño, Inti Herrera. Cuba/France/Panama,
2012, color, 80 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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PÁNICO: THE BAND THAT MET THE SOUND
BENEATH [La banda que buscó el sonido debajo]
Q&A with filmmaker James June Schneider
Wed, Oct 2, 7:30
In 2010, the Chilean band Pánico traveled through the desert
of northern Chile to record a new album. After two decades
of playing rock ‘n’ roll, these Santiago city slickers have their
world rocked by the strange sounds and voices of the north,
not to mention a major earthquake. Official Selection, 2013
BAFICI Film Festival.
DIR/SCR James June Schneider, Benjamín Echazarreta; PROD
Bruno Bettati, Jean Philippe Raymond, Julien Féret. Chile/France, 2012, color, 85 min. In Spanish
with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Co-presented with Sonic Circuits Festival 2013 (dc-soniccircuits.org).
MUCH BETTER THAN YOU
[Soy mucho major que vos]
Mon, Oct 7, 7:00; Tue, Oct 8, 9:15
An outrageously depraved comedy, this semi-sequel to
YOU THINK YOU ARE THE PRETTIEST, BUT YOU ARE THE
SLUTTIEST (2010 AFI Latin American Film Festival) follows
Cristobal, a 40-year-old degenerate on an endless night on the
town in search of sex, drugs and happiness. Still reeling from
the separation from his wife, Cristobal’s self-esteem is at an all-
time low. But that won’t stop him from hitting on every woman
in sight, with hilarious, cringe-inducing results. Filmmaker Che
Sandoval won the FEISAL Award at BAFICI for his sardonic
script, filled with some of the most imaginative putdowns in the
history of cinema.
DIR/SCR Che Sandoval; PROD Soledad Santelices. Chile, 2013, color,
85 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Colombia
2012 Oscar Submission for Best Foreign Language Film,
Colombia
THE SNITCH CARTEL [El cartel de los sapos]
Q&A with executive producer Francisco Cardona on Sep 20
Fri, Sep 20, 9:15; Mon, Sep 23, 9:00
Based on a true story, this high-octane thriller follows young
buck Martin as he rises through the ranks of a vicious drug
cartel in hopes of winning the hand of the sophisticated Sofia.
But when the cartel’s kingpin is murdered, Martin is left with
no choice but to become a snitch for the DEA. Set against the
violent drug wars of the 1990s, Carlos Moreno (DOG EAT
DOG, ALL YOUR DEAD ONES) combines breakneck action
with steamy romance. Ranging from Bogotá to Miami, an
attractive young cast brings this vital story to life with support
from Hollywood vet Tom Sizemore and Oscar nominee
Adriana Barraza (BABEL). Official Selection, 2013 Palm
Springs Film Festival.
DIR Carlos Moreno; SCR Luiso Berdejo, Juan Camillo Ferrand,
Andrés López; PROD Manolo Cardona, Alex Garcia. Colombia, 2011, color, 115 min. In Spanish
with English subtitles. RATED R
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EDIFICIO ROYAL
Sun, Sep 29, 5:30; Wed, Oct 2, 5:00
Death, cockroaches and Tom Cruise come crashing together in
this absurd black comedy from first-time filmmaker Iván Wild.
The residents of the once-glorious “Edificio Royal” teeter on
the edge of sanity as their building begins literally to fall to
pieces. An old man with Alzheimer’s is convinced a portrait of
Tom Cruise in A FEW GOOD MEN is his successful military
son; an embalmer is forced to bring his appalling work home;
his wife calls into a cheesy TV psychic to help interpret her
recurring dream featuring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and—who
else?—Tom Cruise. Official Selection, 2013 Miami and
Cartagena Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR Iván Wild; PROD Cristina Gallego. Colombia/
France/Venezuela, 2012, color, 90 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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SOFIA AND THE STUBBORN MAN
[Sofía y el Terco]
Sat, Sep 28, 3:15; Sun, Sep 29, 3:30
Pedro Almodóvar muse Carmen Maura (WOMEN ON THE
VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN) shines as Sofía,
a silently suffering yet dutiful wife, going through the motions
in her tiny Andean village. She’s always dreamt of the sea,
but her cranky husband unfailingly comes up with an excuse
to keep them from going. Slowly gathering up the courage,
Sofía packs a bag, heads for the highway and gets on a bus
towards the coast. Embarking on a life-changing adventure,
Sofía encounters oddballs and outcasts who help her on her
way. A joyful, quirky coming-of-(old)-age film.
DIR/SCR Andrés Burgos;
PROD Carolina Anrango, Cristina Villar. Colombia, 2012, color, 82 min. In Spanish with English
subtitles. NOT RATED
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THE SWIMMING POOL [La piscina]
Sat, Sep 28, 11:20 a.m.; Sun, Sep 29, 11:20 a.m.
Esteban is a former swimming champ, teaching lessons to a
group of kids with disabilities down at the local Havana pool.
Rodrigo has trouble walking, but is wrapped around the finger
of Diana, a one-legged beauty. They’re joined on their daily
lessons by Dani, a happy-go-lucky guy with Down syndrome
and a mute named Oscar. As they fight, swim and nap, the
rag-tag group learns to stick together despite their differences.
Striking widescreen compositions distinguish filmmaker Carlos
Machada Quintela’s poetic film, one that suggests that it’s not
about what one lacks in life, but where one belongs. Best First
Film, 2013 Miami Film Festival; Best First Film, 2013 Havana
Film Festival.
DIR Carlos Macheda Quintela; SCR Abel Arcos. Cuba/Spain/Venezuela,
2012, color, 76 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Dominican Republic
ARROBÁ
Featuring post-screening refreshments sponsored by the
Embassy of the Dominican Republic, on Sep 24
Sun, Sep 22, 9:15; Tue, Sep 24, 7:00
Pedro, Samuel and Pilón are a ragtag trio down on their luck.
Hoping to change their fortunes, they strap on some Marilyn
Monroe masks and attempt to rob a bank. But these “Three
Stooges of the Caribbean” do it all wrong. Fortunately, Pedro is
the proud owner of a time machine, so they can go back and
do it all over, again and again, until they get it right. José María
Cabral (CHECK MATE, 2012 AFI Latin American Film Festival)
continues to be a young Dominican filmmaker to watch, toying
with notions of genre with pure glee in this GROUNDHOG
DAY meets BACK TO THE FUTURE mash-up.
DIR/SCR José María Cabral.
Dominican Republic, 2013, color, 97 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Ecuador
NO AUTUMN, NO SPRING
[Sin otoño, sin primavera]
Sun, Sep 22, 8:45; Wed, Sep 25, 5:15
The lives of Guayaquil’s disenfranchised youth come together
in this sexy, punky kaleidoscopic drama from filmmaker Iván
Mora Manzano. A once-promising law student turns to anarchy
and falls for his sleeping-pill dealer, while a vivacious young
woman facing a terminal disease reaches out to her engaged
ex-boyfriend for one final fling. Manzano tells a modern story
of an invisible generation coming to terms with adulthood,
successfully weaving his interconnected stories with a keen
sense for love, loneliness and rock 'n’ roll. Official Selection,
2013 Miami and Cartagena Film Festivals. D
IR/SCR Iván Mora
Manzano; PROD Isabel Carrasco, Arturo Yepez. Ecuador/Colombia/France, 2012, color, 115 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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El Salvador
THE METAL STORK [La cigüeña metálica]
Sat, Oct 5, 11:10 a.m.; Wed, Oct 9, 5:00
In this powerful documentary, filmed twenty years after the
Chapultepec Peace Accords brought an end to the brutal civil
war in El Salvador, three formerly missing children try to repair
the damage and reconstruct their lives. During the conflict,
rural kids Ana Lilian, Ricardo and Blanca witnessed the murder
of their families and grieved as the “metal stork”—the military
helicopter—chose a new life for them. A military family took in
Ricardo, and Blanca was adopted by a family in Spain, while
Ana Lillian wandered alone, then bounced around a succession
of foster families. Now with children of their own, they reconnect
with their long-lost families, hoping to reconcile their pasts
and bring peace to the present. Official Selection, 2013
Guadalajara Film Festival.
DIR/SCR Joan López Lloret; SCR Ana Paola Van Dalen;
PROD Cristina Gironés. Spain, 2012, color, 81 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Guatemala
DUST [Polvo]
Sun, Sep 29, 9:30; Thu, Oct 3, 5:00
Thirty-year-old filmmaker and father Ignacio sets out to make a
documentary with his pregnant girlfriend about the indigenous
survivors of the civil war who are still searching for lost family
members. When they discover Juan, obsessed with finding his
father, it appears they’ve found the perfect subject for their film,
but Juan has other priorities: getting revenge on those responsible
for his father’s disappearance. The latest from acclaimed
filmmaker Julio Hernández Cordón (MARIMBAS FROM HELL,
2011 AFI Latin American Film Festival) delicately builds a
metaphor for modern-day Guatemala, a nation intent on moving
forward, but still wounded by the past. Official Selection, 2012
Locarno and Toronto Film Festivals; 2013 Miami Film Festival.
DIR/SCR Julio Hernández Cordón; SCR Mateo Iribarren; PROD Juan Ignacio Correa. Guatemala/
Spain/Chile/Germany, 2012, color, 80 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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RIO 2096: A STORY OF LOVE AND FURY
THE FUTURE
PÁNICO: THE BAND THAT MET THE SOUND BENEATH
THE SNITCH CARTEL
MOLASSES
THE END
THE SWIMMING POOL
DUST
NO AUTUMN, NO SPRING
Courtesy of Buriti Filmes
Courtesy of Caleidoscopio Cine
Courtesy of 11:11 Films
Courtesy of Jirafa Films
Courtesy of Miguel Gomez
Courtesy of Habanero
Courtesy of Outsider Pictures
Courtesy of m-appeal
Courtesy of m-Appeal
