22nd Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, Sept 5-15, 2024
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The Soldier's Lagoon
The Soldier's Lagoon
September 9, 2024
Directed by Pablo Alvarez-Mesa, this riveting experimental work delves deep into the misty Páramo region, into an ecosystem rich in water, but also saturated with oral narratives that populate the territory like foggy patches. Reflecting on the construction of oral history and its relation to the land, the film traverses a living and elusive archive, suspended between Simon Bolivar’s past and Colombia’s present.
The Cinematheque -
Guián (with Three Rooms)
Guián (with Three Rooms)
September 11, 2024
As a consequence of her grandma Guián passing away, Nicole starts meeting up with people who had known her. In them, Nicole finds a poetic resemblance between these members of the Chinese-Costa Rican community and her deceased grandma.
From these conversations Nicole finds the need to go to Engping, the village in Southern China that her grandma fled amidst the rise of communism. This will be the first time Nicole steps onto Chinese soil. Having never learned Chinese, she must confront the reality of a country and culture she thought she knew.
Received Special Mention as part of the Burning Lights Competition at Visions du Réel, 2023.
Preceded by the short film THREE ROOMS (dir. Andrea López, 10 mins)
CineworksFields of PresenceFields of Presence
September 11, 2024
Director Jorge Lozano in attendance.
"This poetic experimental documentary is a tribute to my daughter, Briana Sarita, and her multifaceted life, a collaborative reflection intertwining fiction film archives, acting, and photographs to evoke memories and breathe life into moments and events. Her singing serves as a connecting thread, offering parallel interpretations. The film explores events since 1978, employing a non-chronological and non-linear approach, providing a unique artistic perspective. Shot in Colombia, Spain, and Costa Rica, it culminates in Victoria, BC, where she was tragically murdered in March 2021. However, the film focuses on celebrating her life and her essence employing diverse formats, including super 8mm, VHS, Super VHS, 3/4″, 4K HD, Drone 5K video, GoPro, and Instant 360."
The Cinematheque -
Open Sky (with The Vampires of Poverty)
Open Sky (with The Vampires of Poverty)
September 12, 2024
A Peruvian father labours patiently, chipping at the white volcanic stone that forms an extraordinary landscape. His son is part of the modern world: he uses cameras and drones in order to create the digital model of a church on a computer. Separated by the mysterious death of the wife/mother figure in the family, these men do not connect, and yet their paths cross in a ghostly manner.
Preceded by THE VAMPIRES OF POVERTY (1977, 28 min)
A classic film of Colombian cinema by directors Carlos Mayolo & Luis Opsina that simulates being a documentary about filmmakers who exploit misery with mercantilist purposes. It is a scathing criticism of “porno-misery” and the opportunism of the dishonest documentary making “socio-political documentaries” in the third world to sell them in Europe and win prizes.CineworksElis and Tom (with Spell)Elis and Tom (with Spell)
September 12, 2024
Los Angeles, February 1974. Tom Jobim, the incarnation of Bossa Nova, and Elis Regina, then Brazil’s most popular singer, met to record what would become one of the most iconic albums in the history of Brazilian music. Through a collection of rare images, never seen before, “Elis & Tom” reveals the conflict and the joy of this unique moment, travelling in time and exposing the intimacy of the creative process as well as the extraordinary personalities of these fantastic artists.
Preceded by the short film SPELL (dir. Khalil Charif, 6 min)
The Cinematheque -
Four Seasons of Youth
Four Seasons of Youth
September 13, 2024
A wannabe movie director films his experience at one of the most important universities in Brazil. As the years go by, we follow the hopes and fears of students facing an unprecedented educational crisis.
Cineworks -
Open Sky
Open Sky
September 14, 2024
Director Felipe Esparza Pérez in attendance!
A Peruvian father labours patiently, chipping at the white volcanic stone that forms an extraordinary landscape. His son is part of the modern world: he uses cameras and drones in order to create the digital model of a church on a computer. Separated by the mysterious death of the wife/mother figure in the family, these men do not connect, and yet their paths cross in a ghostly manner.
The CinemathequeVera and the Pleasure of OthersVera and the Pleasure of Others
September 14, 2024
¡Calientico!, a sizzling collaboration between VLAFF and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival
In this erotic coming-of-age comedy, 17-year-old Vera runs a secret business renting out an apartment to her classmates who need a place to get intimate. Bored by the banal routine of high school and volleyball practice, she discovers her own sexual desires as she covertly eavesdrops on her classmate’s most private moments.
Join us afterwards for the FUEGO/FOGO Cuir Party at THE BIRDHOUSE!
International VillageThis Is BallroomThis Is Ballroom
September 14, 2024
¡Calientico!, a sizzling collaboration between VLAFF and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival!
On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, the city’s top ballroom houses convene in a sweaty, euphoric competition, in this electrifying portrait of contemporary queer Brazil.
Join us afterwards for the FUEGO/FOGO Cuir Party at THE BIRDHOUSE!
International Village