Reviews: Latin American Film Fest
By hola | Published | No Comments
The annual Latin American Film Festival is about halfway through its three-week run at the AFI Silver cinema. Read reviews of three films we’ve enjoyed so far. Two of the films have showtimes this afternoon at the Silver Spring movie theater.
“Señorita María, la falda de la montaña”
Tucked away in the foothills of a small, devoutly Roman Catholic town in Colombia comes a LGBTQ story of faith and resilience. This award-winning documentary by Rubén Mendoza follows the life of a gentle, innocent and yet controversial soul named Maria Luisa. Designated male at birth, she courageously identifies as a woman today. We follow the course of Maria Luisa’s life, from her hardworking days to her pained and angry confessions about how her family shunned her because she was different. Against the backdrop of Colombia’s majestic mountains, Mendoza presents a unique story about finding acceptance in oneself through faith. The film has previously been show at 2017 Locarno Film Festival and 2018 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Mendoza also won best Colombian director at the 2018 Cartagena International Film Festival. It will be screened this afternoon, Sept. 24, at 5:15 p.m.
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“Violeta At Last”
Recently divorced, Violeta sets out to turn her childhood home into a guesthouse. Then she learns the bank is about to auction off her home–and along with it her guesthouse dreams. Directed by Hilda Hidalgo, this Costa Rican feature film follows the endearing Violeta as she finds creative ways to keep her home and her freedom. The film will be shown again this afternoon, Sept. 24, at 7:15 pm.
“Birds of Passage”
This vibrant film recounts the origins of the notorious Colombian drug trade and the demise of a prominent Wayúu clan. The 2018 Oscar nominated film, which opened this year’s festival on Sept. 13, beautifully captures Colombia’s diverse landscape, as well as a bloody but little-known chapter in the country’s long drug war. Directed by Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego, “Birds of Passage” will represent Colombia at the Academy Awards this year. It was also screened in the official selections of the Locarno and Toronto film festivals and at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year.
The Latin American Film Festival continues though Oct. 3. Find out more about the films on the AFI SILVER website.
-Isabelle Orozco
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