Early this month, the first Latin American Film Festival, or “Cine Latino,” will screen 11 films from seven countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela, showcasing various films, ranging from action to drama.
Ambassadors to the Philippines, which include Argentine Republic’s Roberto Bosch, Federative Republic of Brazil’s Rodrigo do Amaral Souza, Republic of Chile’s Jose Miguel Capdevilla, Republic of Colombia’s Victor Hugo Echeverri, Republic of Panama’s Rolando Anival Guevara Alvarado and Embassy of Mexico’s Gerardo Regalado graced the news conference of the event’s launch to announce their full support and cooperation for the said project.
Souza said, “We are very excited about the Latin American Film Festival. It’s an unprecedented initiative of joining and combining efforts of a Latin American scale here in Manila. The public here in Metro Manila will have a chance to appreciate the richness and variety of the culture of the Latin American countries.”
For his part, Capdevilla noted, “This is the first time that we are organizing together this film festival, where we would like to show our cinematic work. By doing so, we will be able to translate to the Philippine viewers the images of our work, reality, mentality [while] Filipinos can get a comprehensive vision of the countries of Latin America.”
Some of the films that got attention at the prescreening were Brazil’s Cidade de Deus (City of God). The story revolves around a housing project built in the 1960s, which became a dangerous place in Rio de Janeiro. The film received worldwide critical acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2004.
From Colombia is the drama-comedy Sofia y el terco (Sofia and the Stubborn), which tells the story of a couple who lives in a small village in the Colombian countryside. Their life has just been a long repetition of facts for years. They grew and married there, and they know everybody in the village. The main female character has an old dream: She wants to go to the sea, despite having known nothing but mountains. The film shows how she eventually makes her decision. Regalado also vouched for the movie’s quality.
Catch Cine Latino at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall from December 6 to 10. Enjoy watching!